JULIETTE 
RECAMIER 


HER  LIFE 
AND  TIMES 


^DELIA 
AUSTRIAN 


cr 

co 

C\J 


GIFT  or 
Mrs.    J.   Harry  Seli 


1 


JULIETTE  RECAMIER 


TO  MY  SISTER 
MRS.  J.  HARRY  SELZ 


^7 

(Delia  cAvstrian 


$ '  >< 


/"^        /^o       /       ti.        ^ 


Copyright  1922 

by 
Delia  Austrian 

Foreign  copyrights  and 
dramatic  rights  reserved 


Contents 

Chapter 

I  The  queen  of  four  reigns 

II  Her  early  loves     .     .     . 

III  The  beginning  of  the  Empi 

IV  Letters 

V  The  intrusion  of  sorrow 

VI     A  summer  at  Coppet     . 

VII     Juliette's  exile  .... 

VIII     Juliette  in  Rome  .     .     . 


IX     Reunion  of  Juliette  and 
Chateaubriand      .     . 


re 


X     Juliette  back  in  Paris    . 
XI     The  tragedies  of  the  Convent 


Page 
10 

25 
37 
47 
59 

7i 
77 

91 
ii5 
133 


S.141 


Illustrations 

Mme.  Recamier      .     .     .     facing  page  25 
Mme.  DeStael  ....     facing  page  71 


:  - 


JULIETTE   RECAMIER 


He  J^jfe   of 


(Phayier  i 
THE  QJJEEN  OF  TOUR  REIGNS 

WAS  ON  A  LOVELY  SEPTEMBER 
DAY,  THE  SIXTH  FLORE AL  YEAR 

of  Liberty,  and  the   24th    of  April    1793, 

when  a  slender  girl  of  fifteen  came  down  a 

long  flight  of  stairs  from  the  Hotel  de  Ville. 

A  slight  arm  was  locked   in    that   of  her 

tall  blond  husband. 

You  knew  that  she  was  a  bride  because 

of  the  white  bonnet  she  wore,  finished  off 
by  a  long  veil,  and  by  the  soft  white  dress.     Brilliant  chestnut 

curls  showed  under  the  bonnet's  frill. 

Her  girlish  oval  face  wore  an  earnest  expression  with  but  a 

mere  suggestion  of  a  smile.    She  held  her  husband's  arm  tighter 

as  strange  noises  came  to  her  ears  from  the  neighboring  streets. 

10 


e cornier  g^s> 


The  bridegroom  looked  admiringly  into  that  sweet  child-like 
countenance  whose  serious  expression  seemed  rather  unnatural. 
But  even  her  earnestness  could  not  conceal  her  beauty  or 
detract  from  the  svelte  and  graceful  figure  that  was  adorned 
so  simply  by  the  wedding  finery. 

In  this  girlish  and  undeveloped  figure  he  saw  promise  of  a 
stately  and  well  poised  carriage,  in  the  face  he  saw  a  rarely 
handsome  woman. 

Her  mild  eyes  were  shaded  by  long  silky  lashes.  The  color  of 
her  cheeks  was  accentuated  by  her  warm  lips,  which  Diderot 
said  was  "like  a  jar  of  milk  on  which  one  tosses  rose  leaves," 
but  at  this  time  her  sensitive  nostrils  quivered  with  fear. 

Her  youth  caused  her  husband,  who  was  years  older,  to  look 
like  a  father  rather  than  as  a  wedded  mate.     Neither  of  them 

1 1 


12  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

was  really  conscious  of  the  fact  that  they  had  just 
left  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  where  they  had  been  pro- 
claimed man  and  wife  by  an  official  wearing  the  red 
bonnet,  or  that  they  had  signed  the  register. 

For  this  young,  half-frightened  girl  was  none  other 
than  Juliette  Bernard,  the  only  daughter  of  M.  Bernard, 
a  notary,  who  came  from  Lyons  and  who  was  an 
ancient  receiver  of  finance  in   Paris. 

The  husband  was  Monsieur  Jacques  Rose  Recamier, 
a  prominent  French  banker.  She  was  more  conscious 
of  his  strength  than  of  her  own  physical  charms  as 
she  looked  up  into  his  blue  eyes  and  tightly  held  his 
sturdy  arm.  They  were  followed  and  attended  by  a 
single  couple,  Juliette's  parents. 

The  young  girl  trembled  from  head  to  toe  as  she 
heard  the  coarse  laughter  and  cries  "Long  live  Barras." 

These  words  were  from  the  lips  of  a  mob  of  dirty- 
looking  men  and  women  who  came  from  a  narrow 
street  into  the  wide  boulevard.  They  gathered  closely 
about  a  man  who  sat  in  a  chair  that  was  supported 
by  four  of  his  followers.  He  wore  a  wreath  of  oak 
leaves  and  his  face  was  lighted  by  a  cynical  smile 
that  showed  plainly  how  conscious  he  was  of  his  power. 
In  passing,  his  heavy  baggy  eyes  fixed  themselves  on 
the  pretty  trembling  girl  who  drew  closer  to  her  husband. 

The  marriage  ceremony  was  completed  by  a  small 
reception  to  which  Juliette's  parents  and  a  few  of  their 
intimate  friends  were  bidden.  This  attractive,  inno- 
cent girl  was  more  absorbed  in  youthful  pastimes  than 
in  creating  a  salon,  or  even  in  pleasing  her  husband. 

Such  was  the  wedding  day  of  Juliette  Recamier,  a 
girl  of  fifteen  who  was  born  and  passed  her  early  years 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  13 

at  Lyons  in  the  company  of  her  parents  and  of  old 
Simonard,  a  life-long  friend  of  the  family.  She  re- 
ceived her  training  for  a  later  life  in  her  mother's  salon. 

Her  father,  a  tall  and  handsome  figure,  also  had  a 
pleasing  personality,  that  attracted  financiers  to  their 
homes  both  in  Lyons  and  later  in  Paris. 

But  her  best  training  was  gained  at  Villefranche, 
where  she  spent  her  childhood  days  in  a  convent, 
watched  over  by  an  aunt,  her  mother's  sister,  who  was 
celebrated  for  her  charming  manner  and  the  careful 
supervision  she  gave  her  little  niece. 

There  was  a  romantic  incident  in  her  early  days 
worth  mentioning.  It  was  while  living  in  this  convent 
that  this  little  girl  of  seven  or  eight  met  a  little  boy  by 
the  name  of  Humboldt,  who  at  this  time  was  not  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  some  day  he  was  to  become  a 
great  naturalist  and  philosopher,  and  that  the  little 
girl  he  then  loved  was  to  captivate  the  heart  of  many 
another  famous  man. 

They  only  knew  they  liked  each  other  in  their  inno- 
cent and  charming  way. 

Although  it  was  only  a  childish  fancy  for  both, 
Juliette  often  said  to  her  husband  and  to  others  that 
Humboldt  was  her  first  real  lover. 

Camille  Jordan,  a  scholar  of  his  day,  was  one  of  her 
most  welcome  guests,  first  at  Lyons  and  later  in  Paris. 
He  was  noticeable  for  his  easy,  amiable  manner  as  well 
as  for  his  democratic  and  original  mind. 

Equally  friendly  was  Lemontey,  who  was  celebrated 
for  his  learning — and  his  willingness  to  display  it. 

One  of  the  most  welcome  of  these  visitors  was  Jacques 
Recamier  who  was  called  by  his  friends  in  Lyons,  unjoli 


14  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

garqon  (a  pretty  man).  He  was  admired  by  Juliette  and 
her  family  because  he  was  gay  and  generous  and  always 
knew  the  right  way  of  doing  things.  He  treated  the 
pretty  Juliette  as  a  child,  amazed  her  with  wonderful 
stories,  much  as  he  would  have  done  had  she  been  his 
daughter.    He  brought  her  candies  and  dolls. 

Therefore  this  girl  of  fifteen  was  not  surprised  when 
he  asked  her  hand  in  marriage.  Speaking  of  this  mar- 
riage her  aunt,  Mme.  Lenormant  said:  "The  affec- 
tions which  make  real  happiness  and  dignity  in  woman, 
were  lacking.  She  was  neither  wife  nor  mother  and 
her  heart  was  a  desert." 

This  civil  marriage  did  not  culminate  in  any  religious 
service  offered  at  the  church  or  at  Juliette's  home.  For 
in  these  stormy  days  when  Barras'  eyes  and  his  groups 
were  watching  for  those  who  were  opposed  to  their 
regime,  it  was  considered  wise  to  carry  on  all  celebra- 
tions quietly. 

Then,  as  later,  her  husband  treated  her  as  a  daughter. 
His  chief  motive  in  marrying  her  seemed  to  be  to 
give  her  his  increased  affection  and  his  fortune,  in 
case  the  hungry  mob  should  select  him  as  one  of  the 
number  to  be  slaughtered. 

The  stormy  days  in  which  she  was  married,  soon 
took  a  turn  for  the  better,  after  the  ninth  thermidor, 
which  brought  the  execution  of  Robespierre,  Henroit, 
Couthon  and  Saint  Just. 

Speaking  of  those  days  Henry  Turquan  in  his  life 
of  Madame  Recamier  said:  "A  short  time  after  the 
triumph  of  the  Thermidorians,  her  husband's  fortune 
crowned  his  efforts  and  the  bank  of  Recamier  became 
the  strength  of  the  capital." 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  15 

Mme.  Recamier  was  one  of  the  handsomest  women 
of  her  day.  She  had  as  rivals  la  citoyenne  Tallien,  the 
mistress  of  Barras  and  also  known  as  a  great  beauty. 

There  was  also  the  marquise  of  Fontenat  as  well  as 
Mme.  Caburrus,  and  later  the  Princesse  de  Chimay, 
mentioned  for  her  beauty  and  graceful  dancing,  as 
well  as  was  the  lightfooted  Mme.  Hamelin.  All 
these  women  were  beautiful  figures  on  the  ball-room 
floor,  and  Mme.  Recamier  watched  them  with  great 
interest. 

Meanwhile  in  the  year  1794  and  during  the  year  of 
1795  which  saw  the  powers  of  the  convention  expire, 
Mme.  Recamier  only  visited  the  salons  of  some  of 
the  bankers,  and  was  seen  only  at  public  balls.  One 
saw  her  frequently  in  an  open  carriage  on  the  boule- 
vards, attracting  great  crowds  by  her  sweet  and 
charming  expression. 

Madame  Recamier  was  one  of  the  fashionable 
women  who  enjoyed  amusing  themselves.  When  she 
had  once  become  a  queen  in  the  Chaussee  d'Antin, 
this  woman  of  elegance  and  of  fashion  appeared  at 
the  home  of  Tourten,  Perregaux  and  Sequin  and  at 
many  other  splendid   homes. 

La  Harpe  was  a  friend  of  the  family  even  in  Lyons, 
and  she  followed  his  lectures  given  at  the  Lycee  with 
much  interest. 

There  was  always  a  seat  kept  close  to  his,  and  it 
was  vacant  until  her  arrival.  Juliette  Recamier  was 
even  then  so  well  known  for  her  beautv  and  charm 
that  she  greatly  helped  in  making  La  Harpe's  lectures 
popular. 

This  man  La  Harpe  was  a  gallant;  he  had  success 


1 6  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

as  well  as  pretension  and  he  was  as  unrestrained  as 
a  child.  He  had  a  splendid  head  and  an  amiable  ex- 
pression, but  his  figure  was  small  and  without  ele- 
gance. 

He  had  courage,  audacity,  an  air  of  decision  and 
authority  and  he  often  sacrificed  himself  to  these 
traits. 

His  expression  was  impertinent,  especially  when 
he  was  well-powdered  and  dressed  in  black  velvet 
with  a  gold  vest  and  cuffs  made  of  filet  of  lace.  A 
man  of  gallantry  and  of  charming  spirit. 

He  exercised  his  authority  in  powerful  action  and 
charm.  The  play  of  Warwick  was  his  first  triumph 
in  1763  when  he  was  but  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
La  Harpe  was  sensitive  to  harsh  criticism  and  he  tried 
to  appear  as  a  restorer  of  taste.  He  succeeded  as  a 
journalist  and  largely  on  account  of  his  defiant  attitude. 

When  his  friends  told  him  that  he  was  too  theatri- 
cal, he  answered:  "I  cannot  help  that.  It  is  stronger 
than  I  am." 

Juliette  Recamier  played  the  harp  exquisitely  and 
had  a  pleasing  voice,  and  much  of  her  time  and  at- 
tention was  given  to  music.  She  was  often  seen  at 
Feydau's  concerts  where  the  very  best  music  was 
rendered.  She  also  attended  the  open  air  fetes  that 
were  given  at  Vauxhall  and  at  the  Tivoli. 

Wherever  she  went  she  was  recognized,  because  of 
her  simple  and  elegant  dressing.  She  usually  wore 
white  with  soft  fichus  folded  about  her  neck  in  a 
certain  fashion,  tied  with  a  blue  ribbon.  At  times 
the  crowds  applauded  her  and  made  other  signs  of 
their  approval  of  her  beauty  and  charm,  and  she  with 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier         17 

the  confidence  of  a  queen  bowed  in  recognition  of  their 
generous    admiration. 

During  the  days  of  Barras,  who  was  one  of  the 
Directory  and  head  of  the  Republic,  the  balls  were 
many  and  occasionally  the  lovely  Juliette  was  seen 
at  them  in  the  company  of  Mme.  Tallien  and  Mme. 
Beauharnais,  the  latter  a  beauty  well  known  for  her 
rich  olive  complexion  and  brilliant  eyes. 

Arsene  Houssaye,  writing  of  these  days,  says: 

"I  shall  never  forget  my  surprise  when  leaving  the 
apartments  of  Barras  and  reaching  the  foot  of  the 
stairway,  at  having  encountered  three  women  notice- 
able for  their  extreme  beauty.  Madame  Tallien, 
Madame  Recamier  and  Madame  Beauharnais,  who 
habitually  ornamented  the  salons  of  the  Directory — 
a  new  kind  of  surprise  for  me. 

"It  was  at  one  of  these  fetes  that  Madame  Recamier 
first  met  Mme.  Tallien,  the  mistress  of  Barras." 

It  was  about  this  time  she  also  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  Madame  de  Stael,  which  acquaintance  soon 
budded  and  developed  into  a  lasting  friendship. 

Their  meeting  came  about  through  Monsieur  Re- 
camier and  Juliette  calling  on  Monsieur  Necker,  as  pos- 
sible purchasers,  the  father  of  Madame  de  Stael,  at 
number  seven  Rue  du  Mont  Blanc,  which  house  his 
daughter  owned   and  wished   to  sell. 

The  brilliant  de  Stael,  fascinating  writer,  was 
captivated  by  Juliette  Recamier's  naive  charm  and 
beauty  and  although  eleven  years  older  she  had  a 
forceful  influence  on  Juliette  from  the  very  first. 
This  fact  is  transcribed  in  a  letter  written  by  Ben- 
jamin   Constant    about    Madame    Recamier:    "One 


1 8  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

day,  and  this  day  was  an  epoch  in  my  life,  M.  Re- 
camier and  his  wife  went  to  Clichy,  with  a  woman 
whose  name  I  cannot  remember,  and  he  left  me  alone 
with  this  lady  to  join  some  friends  in  the  park.  She 
wore  a  morning  dress  and  a  straw  hat  trimmed  with 
flowers  and  I  took  her  for  a  stranger. 

"I  was  taken  by  the  beauty  of  her  eyes  and  her 
glance.  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  where  I  had 
seen  her  before,  though  I  felt  certain  we  were  not  ab- 
solute strangers."  After  a  few  formal  words,  spoken 
in  a  vivacious  and  penetrating  manner,  de  Stael's 
father,  M.  Necker,  left  them  alone  together. 

"At  these  words  I  knew  it  was  no  other  than  Mme. 
de  Stael.  I  did  not  hear  anything  else  that  was  said; 
I  blushed  my  embarrassment  and  my  consciousness 
was  great.  I  had  read  her  letters  on  Rousseau  and 
I  was  delighted  with  them. 

"She  frightened  and  attracted  me  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  I  felt  in  her  a  person  perfectly  natural, 
but  having  a  great  nature.  She  fixed  her  curious  eyes 
on  me,  full  of  kindness,  and  paid  me  compliments 
about  my  beauty  which  seemed  exaggerated  and  too 
direct.  She  expressed  a  desire  to  see  me  often  when 
she  returned  to  Paris,  for  she  was  leaving  for  Coppet. 

"This  was  only  an  apparition  in  my  life  but  it  was 
strong.  I  no  longer  thought  of  her,  though  I  felt 
the  reaction  of  her  strong  and  ardent  nature." 

By  this  time  Jacques  Recamier  had  become  one  of 
the  strongest  bankers  in  Paris  and  he  felt  that  his 
wife's  beauty  was  worthy  of  a  suitable  setting.  After 
buying  the  home  of  Mme.  de  Stael  it  was  remodeled 
completely. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  19 

The  best  architects  and  interior  decorators  were 
called  in  to  help  make  it  over.  The  velvet  carpets 
were  soft  enough  to  deaden  all  sounds.  The  vesti- 
bules were  brightened  with  foliage  and  flowers,  and 
were  trimmed  with  marble. 

The  bedrooms  were  noted  for  their  long  mirrors 
and  rich  draperies,  that  harmonized  with  the  differ- 
ent colored  satin  upholstered  furniture.  The  two 
salons  were  large;  the  doors  and  walls  were  finished 
with  massive  walnut  in  keeping  with  the  heavy  car- 
pets and  rich  furniture  and  all  the  rooms  were  lighted 
with  bronze  lamps. 

The  banker  encouraged  his  young  wife  to  entertain 
men  and  women  of  influence  of  different  social  ranks 
and  of  various  political  parties. 

No  sooner  were  the  doors  of  her  salon  thrown  open 
than  the  rooms  were  crowded  with  financiers,  army 
men,  politicians,  savants  and  writers.  It  was  said 
that  great  men  who  often  clashed  outside  because  of 

their  different  political  views  brushed  these  differences 
aside  in  Juliette's  salon  and  were  very  friendly  toward 
each  other. 

During  Le  Directoire  few  salons  were  open,  and 
this  one,  presided  over  by  a  young  woman,  notice- 
able for  her  rare  beauty  and  girlish  manner,  soon 
became  the  most  popular  place  in  Paris.  M.  de  la 
Harpe,  a  friend  of  her  mother's,  often  was  a  visitor 
there.  It  was  Voltaire  who  said  of  la  Harpe:  "He 
always  keeps  things  boiling  without  cooking  anything." 

Le  Montey,  who  was  known  to  have  loved  to  enter 
upon  long  literary  discussions,  was  another  of  the 
men   who  came   to  visit  Juliette   at   this   time.     The 


20  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Royalists  were  welcomed  there  on  equal  terms  with 
the  men  and  women  who  stood  for  the  Republican 
Party. 

Kotzebue  in  his  souvenirs  of  Paris,  tells  the  fol- 
lowing story:  "One  day  a  great  ball  was  given  at 
the  home  of  Madame  Recamier,  when  the  hostess 
was  taken  ill  suddenly.  All  at  once  the  doors  of 
her  bedroom  were  thrown  open  to  give  the  guests 
an  opportunity  to  look  in  the  room. 

'To  get  a  better  view,  many  stood  on  the  foot- 
stools and  chairs.  The  scramble  was  so  great  that 
finally  M.  Recamier  rushed  into  the  salon,  and  put 
napkins  and  plates  on  the  furniture  to  protect  them 
from  dam  age.' ' 

At  the  debut  of  the  Consulat  Juliette  Recamier 
was  feted  and  applauded,  as  one  of  the  youngest 
queens  of  the  day.  She  gave  tone  to  the  social  world 
in  which  she  moved.  Even  before,  after  General 
Bonaparte's  return  from  Egypt,  her  salon  was  thrown 
open  to  the  greatest  officers  and  statesmen  in  France. 

She  had  made  already  the  friendship  of  the  Mont- 
morencies  that  continued  throughout  her  life.  Mathieu 
Montmorency,  the  scholarly  and  more  serious  minded 
of  the  two,  had  made  himself  known  in  the  United 
States  of  America.  He  was  thrilled  by  the  French 
wars  like  many  French  soldiers  and  he  wanted  to 
fight  for  Liberty  in  America. 

Mathieu  was  married  to  a  French  girl  who  had 
borne  him  a  daughter,  but  conjugal  responsibilities 
were  soon  forgotten,  first  in  war  days  and  later  in 
a  long  flirtation  he  had  with  Madame  de  Stael.  Adrien, 
the  younger  Montmorency,  also  admired  this  clever 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  21 

woman  but  he  was  known  to  "have  an  elastic  heart." 
But  the  Montmorencies'  admiration  for  Madame 
de  Stael  was  totally  eclipsed  by  the  devotion  of  both 
men  to  Juliette  Recamier.  Both  came  frequently  to 
her  salon  and  Mathieu  became  her  lifelong  friend  and 
counselor. 

The  women  who  visited  her  salon  admired  her  as 
much  as  did  the  men.  Mme.  Bacciochi,  Madame 
Murat,  the  sisters  of  Napoleon,  courted  her  favor 
and  often  invited  Juliette  to  their  opera  box  and  to 
the  theatre.  Radiant  as  Josephine  Beauharnais  was 
herself,  she  felt  that  she  had  a  worthy  rival  in  Madame 
Recamier.  Her  son  Eugene  loved  to  flirt  with  the 
new  queen  and  went  so  far  one  evening,  as  to  take 
a  ring  from  Juliette  and  beg  to  be  allowed  to  keep 
it  as  a  worthy  memento  of  their  friendship,  but  she 
insisted  on  his  returning  the  bauble. 

At  this  time  she  appeared  brilliant,  and  we  see  her 
followed  and  courted  by  Lucien,  brother  to  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  Lucien  was  the  first  important  person 
in  the  history  of  the  times  who  had  loved  her.  Caro- 
line Bonaparte  (Madame  Murat)  was  never  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  Juliette's  but  there  existed  between 
these  women  a  sort  of  comradeship,  provoked  by  a 
similarity  in  their  beauty,  and  because  of  their  youth. 

Monsieur  Recamier  favored  this  friendship  and  en- 
couraged them  to  exchange  visits.  A  financier  of  influ- 
ence, he  ever  welcomed  the  friendships  Juliette  made, 
so  long  as  they  promoted  his  business  interests. 

One  day,  while  Juliette  was  going  to  a  luncheon, 
given  to  Madame  Baciocchi,  Madame  de  Stael  and 
others,   a  messenger   announced   that  her  father  had 


22  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

been  arrested  and  locked  up  in  the  temple.  She  was 
told  that  as  administrator  of  letters  he  was  accused 
of  having  allowed  the  correspondence  of  Royalist 
pamphlets  to  be  published. 

Naturally  the  luncheon  was  broken  up  and  Madame 
Recamier  begged  permission  to  hasten  to  Fouche  to 
see  if  he  would  revoke  the  sentence  pronounced 
against  her  father. 

Caroline  Bonaparte  took  her  to  the  Comedie  Fran- 
cais  where  she  found  her  sister  Pauline  all  absorbed 
in  the  actor  Lafen,  who  was  playing  a  leading  role 
in  one  of  the  successes  of  the  day. 

Fouche  had  refused  to  see  M.  Bernard's  daughter. 
He  said  that  the  arrest  had  been  caused  by  the  deci- 
sion of  the  consul  and  could  only  be  revoked  by  him. 
It  was  then  that  she  hurried  to  the  theatre  and  begged 
the  sisters  to  influence  Napoleon  to  change  the  order. 

Caroline  invited  the  tortured  Juliette  to  their  box, 
where  Pauline  was  found  with  her  attention  focused 
on  the  play.  Juliette  pleaded  with  Caroline,  asked 
if  one  or  both  of  them  would  help  her.  Alas,  no. 
Pauline  was  too  busy  conveying  her  impressions  of 
the  acting  to  her  sister,  to  be  bothered  with  any  out- 
side matter. 

In  the  meantime  a  person  kept  himself  modestly 
in  a  far  corner  of  the  box,  and  the  evident  chagrin 
of  this  young  woman  awakened  the  pity  and  kind- 
ness of  this  silent  observer. 

This  man,  General  Bernadotte,  offered  graciously 
to  accompany  Juliette  to  the  First  Consul.  Impressed 
by  his  kindness  Juliette  accepted  his  offer  with  no 
hesitation.     Excited   by  her   beauty  he   became  elo- 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  23 

quent  and  showed  that  he  was  anxious  to  be  of  service 
to  her.  Her  beauty  and  persuasive  power  and  Ber- 
nadotte's  eloquence  gained  the  day  and  Monsieur 
Bernard  was  allowed  to  leave  the  temple  the  next  day, 
though  later  on  he  was  dismissed  from  his  position. 

After  they  left  Napoleon's  rooms,  Juliette  thanked 
Bernadotte  warmly.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a 
long  and  true  friendship.  The  love  he  showed  for 
her  was  evinced  by  the  many  letters  he  wrote  to  her. 
But  this  cruel  incident  changed  Juliette's  feelings 
toward  the  entire  Royalist  party. 


•      *    • 


•  •    •    • 

.•  •     • 


•    • 


.•   •       • 


Chapter  II 

Her  Early  Loves 

jj^BOUT  this  time  Lucien  Bonaparte  aspired 
to  become  Juliette  Recamier's  lover. 
Though  he  was  married  already  his  wife 
was  delicate,  and  went  little  in  society. 
This  combination  of  circumstances  gave 
Lucien  freedom  to  flirt  with  all  the  handsome  women 
he  met. 

He  considered  his  intimacies  with  well  known 
women  to  be  important  in  the  assistance  of  further- 
ing his  political  importance  and  career.  According 
to  the  historians  of  the  day  he  was  a  handsome  man 
but  rather  effeminate  looking. 

He  had  a  well  shaped  head,  and  well-moulded 
features.  Though  much  taller  than  his  brother 
Napoleon,  his  physique  was  poor  and  he  had  a  spinal 
irregularity  that  caused  him  to  stoop  slightly.  His 
hands  were  unusually  large  as  were  his  feet  and  he 
gesticulated  a  great  deal  while  talking.  With  women 
he  made  every  effort  to  be  at  his  best  and  when  he 
grew  excited  he  became  somewhat  feline. 

Lucien  was  devoted  to  Madame  Recamier,  so  much 
so  in  fact  that  he  was  ever  ready  to  dance  attendance 
on  her  slightest  whim.  She  is  said  to  have  dined 
with  him  several  times  at  the  more  fashionable  res- 
taurants in  Paris,  and  even  welcomed  him  as  she  did 
many  other  famous  men,  to  a  spirit  of  social  eclat 
and  coquetry.  At  this  time  Lucien  was  but  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  was  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

25 


26  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

A  short  time  afterwards,  his  wife  died,  and  Lucien 
ceased  his  frequent  visits  to  Madame  Recamier  for 
a  time,  but  he  wrote  her  many  ardent  letters  which 
she  regarded  lightly,  only  later  to  realize  how  genuine 
his  expressions  of  sentiment  were. 

While  in  Venice  he  wrote  her  more  ardent  epistles 
under  the  title,  "First  letters  from  Romeo  to  Juliet." 

One  of  these  read:  "Romeo  writes  to  you,  Juliet. 
If  you  refuse  to  read  my  letter  you  will  be  more  cruel 
than  our  people  whose  quarrels  have  just  been  ap- 
peased. 

"Without  doubt  these  dreadful  quarrels  will  never 
come  again.  A  few  days  ago  I  only  knew  you  by 
reputation;  I  had  seen  you  a  few  times  at  church  and 
at  fetes.  I  knew  that  you  were  the  most  beautiful 
woman — a  thousand  lips  had  sung  your  praises;  but 
the  friends  who  complimented  were  weak  in  praise 
indeed.  Why  has  this  time  of  peace  delivered  me 
to  your  Empire? 

"Remember  that  day  when  I  was  introduced  to 
you?  We  celebrated  our  country's  reconciliation  at  a 
great  banquet.  I  had  just  come  from  the  senate 
where  troubles  about  the  Republic  had  produced  a 
lively  impression  on  me.  My  mind  was  filled  with 
deep  thoughts.  I  arrived,  quite  sad  and  lost  in 
dreams  in  those  Bellemare  Gardens,  where  we  were 
expected.  Merriment  is  always  there  and  it  dissi- 
pated my  grief.  I  gave  myself  up  to  that  rest  for 
which  skillfulness  and  calculation  are  necessary  to 
conquer  it. 

"How  good  was  this  rest  in  contrast  to  human  life, 
where  everything  is  battle,  attack  and  pursuit. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  27 

"You  came  then — and  they  all  followed  and  sur- 
rounded you.  'How  beautiful  she  is!'  was  the  gen- 
eral outcry. 

"The  room  where  I  stood  was  soon  empty.  I 
hardly  could  keep  back  with  my  companion  at  play. 
I  refused  to  follow  him,  to  fly  near  you.  I  seemed  to 
be  afraid  of  my  Fate  and  to  be  willing  to  make  my 
liberty  of  heart  last  a  few  moments  longer. 

"Chance  or  love  brought  me  near  you.  I  heard 
your  voice,  I  was  your  slave.  I  could  not  admire 
your  features  enough,  your  accent,  your  silence,  your 
movements,  and  your  expression,  which  is  still 
embellished  by  indifference,  for  you  know  how  to 
make  your  indifference  attractive. 

"Crowds  of  people  in  the  evening  filled  the  Gardens. 
Intruders,  who  were  everywhere,  came  to  me.  This 
time  I  had  no  patience  nor  politeness  for  them — they 
kept  me  away  from  you. 

"When  you  appeared  all  eyes  were  on  you.  The 
men  admired  you  and  the  women  sought  in  you  a 
subject  of  consolation.  On  the  banks  of  a  lake  I 
observed  your  way  of  walking  which  is  as  simple 
as  is  your  dress.  In  every  movement  and  in  every 
fold  of  your  gown,  flowers  seemed  to  grow.  I  wanted 
to  shake  off  the  trouble  that  had  taken  hold  of  me. 
I  found  out  that  it  was  love  and  I  wished  to  master  it. 

"I  was  taken  away  and  left  the  Gardens  of  Belle- 
mare  at  the  same  time  you  did.  I  saw  you  again 
since  love  smiled  on  me.  One  day  sitting  on  the 
bank  of  a  river  quiet  and  dreaming,  you  played  with 
a  rose.  I  thought  I  heard  a  sigh.  Vain  illusion. 
As  I  saw  my  error  I  knew  that  indifference  was  seated 


28  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

between  us.  Passion  overcame  me  and  expressed 
itself  in  my  speech,  but  yours  bore  only  a  cruel  joke. 

"My  complaints  accompanied  my  sighs.  You 
doubted  Romeo,  you  spoke  of  his  art  of  pretending 
feelings  which  he  has  not.  Oh,  Juliette,  life  without 
love  is  a  long,  long  sleep.  The  most  beautiful  woman 
should  have  feelings. 

"Happy  must  be  the  mortal  who  becomes  the 
friend  of  your  heart.  Without  doubt  Romeo  is  not 
the  one  whom  love  has  chosen  for  you,  since  he  could 
not  inspire  you  with  esteem,  since  you  cannot  accuse 
him  of  hypocrisy.  Without  doubt  he  will  be  a  victim 
of  your  indifference. 

"Juliette — Romeo  gives  himself  up  to  his  Fate,  but 
do  not  despise  him  nor  think  him  false.  Answer 
his  love  with  pity  and  by  believing  in  him.  I  wish 
to  see  you  every  day  as  though  there  were  not  enough 
pain  already  in  my  heart. 

"I  can  see  you  alone  but  seldom,  and  these  Vene- 
tians who  surround  you  with  their  gallantry  are  un- 
supportable  to  me.  Can  anyone  speak  to  Juliette, 
as  to  another  woman?  I  wished  to  write  to  you. 
You  will  know  me,  you  will  believe  in  me.  My  soul 
is  restless,  it  is  parched  with  desire.  If  my  love  has 
not  touched  yours,  if  Romeo  is  in  your  eyes  but  an 
ordinary  man,  I  beg  you  by  all  the  ties  which  you 
imposed  through  kindness,  do  not  smile,  do  not  speak. 

"Tell  me  to  go  away,  and  if  I  cannot  accomplish 
this  hard  order  remember  that  at  least  Romeo  will 
love  you  always;  that  no  one  has  ruled  over  him  as 
has  Juliette  and  that  he  cannot  give  up  living  for 
her — living  in  remembrance.     Romeo." 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  29 

But  it  did  not  take  a  Lucien  Bonaparte  to  make 
Juliette  Recamier's  beauty  famous  both  in  Paris  and 
in  London.  After  the  peace  of  Amiens  the  French 
flocked  to  London  and  the  English  to  Paris. 

Madame  Recamier  was  one  of  the  many  who  paid 
a  long  visit  to  England.  While  in  London  the  papers 
gave  a  minute  account  of  her  social  triumphs  in  the 
home  of  leading  society  women,  at  the  theatres  and 
at  the  opera.  She  could  not  walk  through  Kensing- 
ton Gardens  without  attracting  great  crowds  and 
having  the  fact  recorded  in  all  the  papers. 

The  beautiful  duchess  of  Devonshire  entertained 
her  royally  and  was  pleased  with  her  beauty  and 
charming  personality. 

Sainte  Beuve,  speaking  of  Juliette  in  his  Causerie  du 
Lundi,  says:  "At  the  debut  of  the  Consulate  one 
found  her  most  brilliantly  feted;  applauded  by  every- 
one for  her  elegance,  for  her  knack  of  giving  tone  to 
the  world,  and  for  inventing  by  her  subtle  art  those 
things  that  stand  for  supreme  beauty. 

"Glancing  back  at  her,  though  we  do  not  wish  to 
make  of  her  a  goddess,  we  can  only  think  of  her 
beauty,  tender  and  nurtured  with  a  delicacy  which 
marked  her  individual  charm." 

In  the  life  of  Madame  Recamier  we  notice  two 
distinct  epochs;  her  days  of  youth  with  her  triumph 
and  her  beauty,  her  long  day  of  sunshine  lasting 
well  into  the  evening.  Later,  in  the  twilight  of  her 
lite,  after  the  sun  had  begun  to  set,  I  hesitate  to 
speak.     I  cannot  speak  of  her  old  age. 

In  these  two  epochs  so  full  of  color  that  they  were  one 
at  the  foundation,  though  they  seemed  to  be  different. 


3<d  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

In  both  periods  she  showed  traits  that  were  es- 
sentially the  same,  and  to  show  how  strong  she  re- 
mained in  this  upheaval,  she  always  remained  pure. 

She  always  guarded  her  desire  of  conquest,  and 
her  gracious  personality,  her  coquetry  was  pure,  al- 
most angelic. 

Le  Montey  was  another  of  her  guests  who  was  always 
epigrammatic  and  found  great  pleasure  in  going  to 
Juliette's  salon  where  he  entered  into  long  discus- 
sions on  many  subjects.  A  friend  of  the  family  from 
the  time  Juliette  was  in  Lyons,  he  looked  upon  her 
as  a  loyal  friend,  ever  ready  to  do  him  a  favor  as  she 
was  ready  to  serve  so  many  of  her  friends. 

The  most  persistent  of  these  suitors  was  Benjamin 
Constant — the  Inconstant.  He  was  a  mobile,  change- 
able soul,  but  possessed  a  sort  of  sincerity  which  dis- 
armed the  doubts  that  many  people  held  toward  him. 

"There  are  two  personalities,"  he  said,  "in  me,  and 
one   is   after   the  other." 

Constant  mocked  himself  until  it  became  second 
nature. 

Madame  de  Stael  had  great  influence  in  his  political 
writings  and  did  much  to  have  him  turn  against 
Napoleon.  He  was  named  consul  of  state  and  played 
a  part  in  framing  L!  act  Additional.  This  brilliant 
young  writer  was  dominated  by  Germaine's  ideas  of 
politics  and  social  life  and  he  grew  to  love  her,  even 
going  so  far  as  to  ask  for  her  heart  and  hand. 

Germaine,  however,  held  him  off,  because  at  this 
time  she  was  much  interested  in  Prosper  de  Barante, 
who  was  then  prefect  of  Leman.  Madame  de  Stael 
was    so    taken    with    Barante's    cleverness    that   she 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  31 

said:  "No  man  of  his  age  is  so  clever  and  so 
talented."  Barante  courted  de  Stael  while  Constant 
looked  on  and  bided  his  time.  Later  on  de  Stael 
looked  with  favor  on  Constant's  suit,  but  by  this 
time  the  fickle  Benjamin  was  head  over  heels  in  love 
with  Juliette  Recamier. 

He  wrote  her  some  thirty  or  more  passionate  let- 
ters in  which  he  poured  out  his  soul  no  less  ardently 
than   Lucien   Bonaparte   had  done. 

Constant  had  a  wonderful  style  both  in  speaking 
and  in  writing;  he  was  celebrated  for  his  clearness 
and  had  a  charm  that  is  rarely  found  in  men  of  let- 
ters. It  is  said  that  he  spoke  abruptly  like  Voltaire 
and  had  not  the  sonorous  rhetoric  of  Rousseau.  His 
language  was  somber  and  rich,  harmonious  and  simple 
without  being  sentimental. 

His  pronunciation  was  different  from  the  usual 
conversationalist  and  was  hard  to  follow,  but  once 
into  his  subject  he  spoke  with  great  fluency.  His  face 
showed  a  peculiar  combination  of  French  vivacity 
and  English  stiffness.  He  had  a  great  weakness  for 
gambling,  and  was  far  from  being  a  saint,  but  it  is 
said  that  there  was  a  raillery  in  his  humor  and  wick- 
edness that  made  him  a  delightful  companion. 

When  not  gambling  he  was  absorbed  in  religion, 
especially  religious  liberty  and  philosophy,  and  was 
ever  ready  to  give  his  time  and  money  to  anybody 
that  wanted  or  needed  them. 

Speaking  of  religion  he  says:  "Let  us  leave  re- 
ligion to  itself;  always  progressive  and  proportional, 
it  will  advance  with  ideas  and  it  will  become  purer 
with  morality.     God  will  beautify  at  each  epoch  that 


32  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

which  is  best.  Let  us  always  ask  for  religious  liberty 
in  every  speech,  surround  religion  with  an  invincible 
force  and  guarantee  its  perfection." 

This  thin  and  pale,  blonde  man  gave  much  time 
and  thought  to  serious  observations.  Just  as  he  had 
gone  to  Madame  de  Stael  for  intellectual  inspiration 
in  his  early  days  he  went  to  Juliette  Recamier  for 
spiritual  consolation. 

When  he  failed  to  receive  it,  he  went  to  Madame 
Krudener  and  prayed  with  her  that  Juliette  would  give 
him  spiritual  sympathy.  She  was  always  willing  to 
give  him  that,  as  she  had  given  it  to  many  others, 
but  she  refused  to  give  him  love. 

Constant  was  able  to  flatter  her  vanity  as  he  had 
that  of  many  another  young  person,  but  further  than 
that  he  could  not  go.  He  poured  out  his  love  to  her 
in  letter  after  letter.  In  one  he  wrote:  "I  love  you 
no  less  than  the  time  you  found  me  weeping  at  your 
feet.  I  suffer  so  much  with  the  least  sign  of  indiffer- 
ence, and  they  are  many. 

"I  am  restless  every  moment  of  my  life.  I  hold 
but  one  thought.  You  hold  my  being  in  one  hand, 
as  God  does  his  creatures.  A  glance,  a  word,  a  ges- 
ture would  change  my  very  existence,  and  yet  I  sub- 
mit myself  to  everything,  and  I  do  not  complain.  I 
suffer  when  you  show  your  indifference  at  seeing  me, 
because  I  cannot  live  without  seeing  you. 

"And  I  often  suffer  and  sacrifice  much  to  win  a 
smile  from  you.  Oh,  I  would  give  my  life  for  an  hour 
of  real  joy  with  you.  For  this  prize  I  would  pierce 
my  heart  with  my  sword  and  spill  my  blood  for  you. 

"But  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  since  you  are 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  33 

an  angel  from  heaven.  Nature  could  not  have  created 
a  being  more  beautiful,  more  attractive,  more  en- 
chanting in  every  glance,  in  every  word  than  are  you. 

"Was  there  ever  a  woman  who  had  so  many  charms, 
a  mind  so  fine,  a  manner  so  naive  and  piquant,  such 
worthy  instincts  for  everything  that  is  noble  and  pure? 

"You  dominate  over  everything  you  touch.  You 
are  a  model  of  grace  and  delicacy  and  of  reason  which 
astonishes  by  its  justice  and  which  captivates  by  its 
goodness  which  sweetens  it. 

"Why  does  this  goodness  not  reach  me  and  me 
alone?  I  have  never  loved  as  I  love  you.  I  have 
told  you  tonight  that  if  you  must  torture  me  you 
must  console  me  by  telling  me  of  some  sacrifice  I 
may  make  for  you.  Farewell.  You  will  excuse  me 
for  having  written  to  you.  I  have  hesitated  before 
sending  this  letter  for  fear  of  annoying  you.  Benja- 
min Constant." 

Another  of  his  ardent  letters  is  as  follows: 

"My  heart  goes  out  to  you.  I  must  tell  you  how 
much  I  love  you.  My  feeling  is  qualified  by  many 
characteristics  which  it  once  lacked.  I  find  in  you 
a  thousand  new  charms;  your  mind  is  the  only  one 
which  is  suited  to  mine.  Your  happiness  is  so  genu- 
ine, your  soul  is  so  pure  and  noble;  every  word  from 
you  indicates  delicacy  in  showing  goodness. 

"I  love  you  in  everything  that  is  beautiful  and 
adorable  on  this  earth.  Oh,  let  me  love  you.  I  shall 
feel  better  for  so  doing.  I  shall  respect  myself  the 
more.  I  am  thankful  to  feel  with  so  much  strength 
all  you  are  and  all  you  are  worth.  My  love  is  my 
only    thought.     It   becomes   almost   a   happiness   be- 


34  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

cause  it  is  so  sweet  to  admire  and  to  love  you.  I 
cannot  help  telling  you  although  my  poor  letters  re- 
main unanswered.  But  I  love  you  as  I  love  God 
to  whom  we  pray  and  whose  good  influence  we  feel 
is  in  His  heart  in  spite  of  His  silence. 

"Do  not  forget  that  you  gave  me  permission  to 
see  you  at  two  o'clock.  You  are  Heaven,  you  are 
God   to  and  for  me. 

"When  Heaven  closes  itself,  when  God  pushes  me 
aside  I  feel  that  hell  is  about  me.  Everything  that 
is  good  and  sweet  in  me  is  killed  when  you  draw  back 
from  me.  Take  me  in  pity  and  save  me.  You  can 
do  it,  and  you  are  the  only  one  who  can  do  it. 

"I  shall  not  trouble  your  life;  I  shall  not  go  any 
further  than  you  wish  me  to.  I  will  retire  humbly 
as  soon  as  I  feel  that  I  am  annoying  you.  But  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  tete  a.  tete  with  you,  a  word  and 
an  assurance  of  kindness  is  water  in  the  desert.  I 
often  suffer  and  sacrifice  much  to  win  a  smile  from  you. 

"Good-bye  and  pardon  my  writing  to  you.  I  have  com- 
menced twenty  letters  during  ten  days  and  the  idea  that 
they  hadlittlemeaning  for  you  keptmefrom  sending  them. 

"How  much  I  love  you;  how  much  you  mean  to 
me;  how  much  I  adore  you  and  your  smile  makes 
me  joyous.  What  happiness  could  be  mine  with 
your  friendship.  Good-bye,  Juliette.  Allow  me  to  speak 
your  name  for  the  last  time.  I  have  suffered  much 
but  I  hope  that  I  never  did  you  any  harm.  God  is 
witness  to  the  truth  of  this.  Forget  all  that  you 
wish  to  forget.  I  have  been  sincere,  devoted  and  I 
have  never  had  any  feeling  of  egotism  in  my  love.  As 
ever,  Benjamin  Constant." 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  35 

One  of  the  writers  of  her  day  speaking  of  Madame 
Recamier,  without  using  her  name,  wrote:  "Eve  is 
the  extreme  moment  of  innocence,  when  people  play 
with  danger."  This  moment  of  indecision  which  did 
not  last  with  Eve,  began  in  the  youth  of  Juliette 
Recamier,  but  it  was  always  continued,  and  was 
dominated  by  a  feeling  stronger  because  of  some 
secret  virtue. 

This  young  woman  was  imprudent,  confident  and 
curious  as  a  child  or  a  school-girl  would  be.  She 
went  to  peril  with  security,  with  charity,  smiling  like 
those  Christian  kings  of  ancient  days  who  healed  the 
sick  during  Holy  week. 

She  never  doubted  her  power  or  her  virtue. 

She  liked  to  wound  hearts  that  she  might  be  able 
to  heal  them  afterwards. 

Most  of  her  friends  had  begun  by  falling  in  love 
with  her;  she  had  many  lovers  and  she  retained  them 
all  as  friends.  She  could  not  conceive  any  happiness 
beyond  duty  and  placed  her  ideals  where  she  found 
so  little,  especially  in  marriage. 

More  than  once  during  the  days  of  her  greatest 
beauty  in  the  midst  of  a  grand  fete  of  which  she 
was  the  queen  she  would  weep  bitterly. 

She  had  what  Shakespere  calls  "the  milk  of  human 
kindness." 

Sainte  Beuve  in  his  Causerie  du  Lundi  says:  "At  the 
debut  of  the  Consulate  one  found  her  the  most  bril- 
liantly applauded,  feted  and  youngest  of  the  queens. 
She  was  proclaimed  by  everyone  for  her  elegance, 
giving  tone  to  the  world,  inventing  by  her  art  those 
things  which  stand  for  supreme  beauty." 


Chapter  III 

The  Beginning  of  the  Empire 

^TAPOLEON  was  elected  consul  for  life  on 
the  second  of  August,  1802.    He  looked  on 


this   office  as  a  stepping   stone   to   being 
proclaimed  Emperor. 

He  had  a  monstrous  pride  and  an  ever 
present  affectation,  which  was  so  studied  that  it 
almost  became  second  nature. 

He  used  the  chariot  of  war  to  gain  the  reign  of 
peace.  His  Italian  blood  explained  his  quick  sudden 
passions  and  complex  nature.  Having  sprung  from 
an  unknown  family  he  could  only  copy  himself.  His 
heavy  face  with  its  clean  cut  strong  features  was 
noticeably  large  for  his  body.  The  "grandmere" 
written  by  Beranger  says:  "He  was  egotism  personi- 
fied. He  was  dry  and  his  coldness  was  an  antidote 
for  his  imagination. 

"He  refused  to  tolerate  the  slightest  independence. 

"That  his  victories  helped  the  relations  existing 
between  kings  and  their  subjects  is  positive  and  they 
brought  people  out  of  their  social  enlargement  in  no 
small  measure. 

"He  worked  knowingly  for  the  political  and  civil 
deliverance  of  nations  while  he  established  a  most 
exacting  kind  of  despotism  trying  to  give  Europe — 
and  France  more  especially — the  freest  of  constitu- 
tions.    Napoleon  was  a  tyrant  disguised  as  a  tribune." 

Meanwhile  the  Empire  was  proclaimed  on  the  fourth 
of  May,    1804.     The    coronation    was    to    take    place 

37 


38  The  Life  of  Juliette  Recamier 

the  second  of  December.  Without  waiting  for  any 
ceremony  the  Emperor  started  to  form  his  household: 
he  made  all  his  sisters  princesses.  One  day  Fouche 
approached  Madame  Recamier  and  offered  her  a 
place  as  lady  in  waiting.  He  reminded  her  of  how 
Bonaparte  had  saved  her  father.  But  she  recalled 
to  the  chief  of  police  how  Napoleon  had  caused  the 
execution  of  the  Duke  of  Enghien  and  the  exile  of 
Germaine  de  Stael  for  her  book  "Dix  Annees  d'Exile." 

Fouche  explained  that  she  was  causing  danger  for 
herself  by  taking  this  hostile  attitude. 

A  few  days  later  Juliette  Recamier  took  breakfast 
with  Princess  Caroline,  the  sister  of  the  Emperor. 
The  minister  of  police,  who  was  there,  asked  her  for 
a  decision,  but  all  he  received  by  way  of  reply  was 
she  could  not  accept  this  flattering  offer. 

Fouch6  never  forgot  this  answer  nor  did  Napoleon, 
and  when,  later  on,  Madame  Recamier  appealed  to 
Napoleon  to  help  save  Monsieur  Recamier's  banking 
house  she  was  given  a  curt,  "No,"  with  the  additional 
comment,  "Why  should  I  be  interested  in  her?  She  is 
not  my  mistress." 

Juliette  felt  her  husband's  failure  keenly,  especially  as 
she  felt  that  Napoleon  could  have  advanced  to  the  bank 
enough  money  to  tide  over  her  husband's   difficulty. 

Shortly  after  this,  she  lost  her  mother.  This 
double  loss  brought  her  to  great  sorrow.  She  sold 
her  beautiful  home  with  many  of  its  rich  furnishings 
and  moved  into  a  very  modest  apartment. 

At  about  this  time  Juliette  met  Rene  Chateau- 
briand; she  met  him  one  morning  in  the  rooms  of 
Madame  de  Stael. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  39 

When  Chateaubriand  met  her  he  was  thirty-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  in  the  flower  of  his  strength 
and  he  was  famed  for  his  slight  figure  and  for  his 
high,  narrow  shoulders. 

But  his  spare  figure  and  high  shoulders  were  for- 
gotten because  of  his  beautifully  shaped  head.  It 
was  superb;  especially  fascinating  was  the  high  fore- 
head, his  dark  wavy  hair  and  his  eyes,  which  had 
that  drab  color  of  the  sea  on  a  stormy  day. 

He  was  at  his  best  when  his  thin  sensitive  lips 
were  brightened  by  a  smile;  then  his  charm  was  irre- 
sistible, for  as  Count  Mole  said:  "There  are  only 
three  men  who  can  smile  in  this  manner:  Bonaparte, 
Chateaubriand  and  myself." 

It  was  in  his  silent  room,  so  intimate  and  still,  so 
mysterious  in  its  lighting  with  a  single  lamp  or  two 
at  best,  that  Chateaubriand  received  the  best  people 
of  Paris,  as  though  he  were  entertaining  in  the  fashion 
of  the  Hotel  de  Montmorin.  As  a  tribute  to  his  hos- 
pitality he  usually  offered  his  guests  a  glass  of  sugar 
water  or  orangeade.  It  was  Monsieur  de  Fontanes  in 
the  spring  of  1800  who  made  him  acquainted  with 
the  social  and  intellectual  elite  of  Paris. 

Without  waiting  to  finish  his  first  work,  Chateau- 
briand, impatient  to  start  the  struggle  for  tame  and 
success,  set  out  to  break  his  first  lance.  He  hoped 
to  become  the  literary  rival  of  Germaine  de  Stael, 
who  was  admired  for  her  clever  brilliancy.  His 
method  of  becoming  her  rival  was  to  visit  her  a  great 
many  times — both  at  her  salons  and  when  she  was  alone. 

One  morning  he  was  seated  in  her  boudoir,  engrossed 
in  discussing  his  new  book,  Attala,  and  gazing  in  her 


40  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

brilliant  eyes.  Glancing  up  he  noticed  a  small  fair 
face  and  a  timid  smile  of  a  friendly  looking  young 
woman,  with  a  very  white  skin  and  soft  chestnut 
curls  that  fell  softly  over  her  low  brow. 

"This  is  my  lovely  friend  Juliette  Recamier,  of 
whom  Paris  speaks  so  much  and  so  kindly,  these 
days,"  said  Madame  de  Stael. 

Chateaubriand  accepted  the  introduction,  that  was 
all.  Edouard  Herriot  describes  the  meeting  of  this 
man  and  woman,  who  were  to  have  so  much  influence 
on  each  other's  lives,  thus:  "Chateaubriand  says,  'I 
was  at  Madame  de  Stael's  one  morning  when  she 
received  me  in  her  private  apartment.  Her  maid 
was  dressing  her  hair  and  during  the  time  she  talked 
brilliantly,  rolling  about  in  her  fingers  a  little  branch 
of  green.  All  at  once  Madame  Recamier,  wearing  a 
simple  white  dress,  entered.  She  sat  on  a  blue  sofa. 
Madame  de  Stael  who  was  standing  continued  her 
conversation  which  was  extremely  animated.  She 
spoke  with  eloquence,  but  I  scarcely  made  reply,  as 
my  eyes  were  fixed  on  Madame  Recamier.  In  short 
I  had  not  heard  one  word  that  Germaine  had  said 
after  the  fair  Juliette  entered  the  room.  Madame 
Recamier  went  away  shortly  and  I  never  saw  her 
until  twelve  years  later."  This  was  when  they  met 
at  the  deathbed  of  Mme.  de  Stael. 

At  this  time  Chateaubriand  was  absorbed  in  his 
work  on  Attala.  This  story  of  primitive  American 
life  interested  the  French  people  greatly,  for  they  had 
played  a  part  in  the  American  revolution  and  were 
glad  to  get  vivid  descriptions  of  the  new  country 
such    as   Chateaubriand   wrote  after  his  visit   there. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  41 

The    following    words    give    the    tone    of    the    book: 

"Sitting  in  the  shades  of  the  American  forests  I 
will  sing  those  airs  of  solitude,  never  before  heard  by 
mortal  ears.  I  will  sing  of  your  misfortunes  at  Nat- 
chez, of  Louisiana,  of  which  only  remembrance  re- 
mains. 

"Have  the  misfortunes  of  obscure  inhabitants  of  the 
woods,  less  right  to  our  tears  than  those  of  other  men? 

"And  are  the  mausoleums  of  kings  in  our  temples 
more  touching  than  the  tombs  of  the  Indian  resting 
under  the  oaks  of  his  country?  And  your  flame  of 
meditation,  stars  of  the  night  be  to  me  as  a  star  of 
Pindus. 

"March  before  my  steps  across  the  unknown  regions 
of  a  new  world,  so  that  I  may  discover  by  your  light 
the  hidden  secrets  of  these  deserts." 

Chateaubriand,  accompanied  by  his  guide,  had  gone 
up  the  course  of  the  Meshaube,  his  bark  floating  at  the 
feet  of  three  hills  which  hid  from  view  the  beauty  of 
the  country  that  belongs  to  the  children  of  the  sun. 

He  disembarks,  climbs  the  side  of  the  embankment 
and  reaches  the  highest  of  the  three  summits. 

The  great  village  of  Natchez  can  be  seen  in  the 
distance  on  a  plain  filled  with  sassafras.  Here  and 
there  wandered  the  squaws,  as  light  as  the  deer  with 
which  they  play.  On  their  left  arms  they  carry  bas- 
kets suspended  by  long  strips  of  bark.  They  gather 
wild  strawberries,  the  juice  of  which  stains  their  fingers 
and  the  grass  at  their  feet.  Rene  descended  from  the 
hill  and  went  towards  a  village. 

The  women  stopped  at  a  distance  to  watch  this  un- 
known white  man.     Then  they  fled  toward  the  woods 


42  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

just  like  to  doves  that  look  at  the  hunter  from  a  high 
rock  and  then  flee  at  his  nearer  approach. 

The  travelers  arrive  at  the  first  huts  of  the  great 
village.  They  present  themselves  at  the  entrance  of 
one  of  the  wigwams.  There  a  family  is  seated  on 
straw  mats;  the  men  are  smoking  the  calumets,  the 
women  are  weaving. 

Watermelons,  pumpkins  and  May  apples  are  dry- 
ing on  leaves  and  vines.  The  hollow  of  a  bamboo 
serves  as  a  drinking  cup. 

The  travelers  stopped  at  the  doorway  and  Chateau- 
briand said:  "We  have  come,"  and  the  chief  of  the 
tribe  answered:  "You  have  come.  It  is  well."  After 
which  the  visitors  seated  themselves  on  the  mats  and 
partook  of  the  cooked  meat  without  speaking.  When 
this  was  done,  one  of  the  interpreters  raised  his  voice 
and  said:  "Where  is  the  sun?" 

The  chief  answers,  "Absent,"  and  the  silence  falls 
once  more.  A  young  girl  appears  at  the  entrance  of 
the  wigwam.  Her  form  is  fine  and  graceful,  resem- 
bling both  the  elegance  of  a  palm  and  the  imagination 
of  a  lovely  dream.  Her  graceful  movements  are  free 
and  almost  divine. 

The  Indians,  to  show  the  sadness  and  beauty  of 
Celusta,  said  that  she  had  the  look  of  night  and  the 
smile  of  Aurora. 

She  was  not  yet  an  unfortunate  woman,  but  des- 
tined to  be  one  in  the  near  future.  One  might  have 
held  this  beautiful  creature  in  one's  arms,  if  one  did 
not  fear  the  heartbeat  of  one  already  consecrated  to 
the  sufferings  of  life. 

Celusta  comes  from  the  wigwam,  blushing,  passes 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  43 

before  the  strangers  and  whispers  something  in  the 
ear  of  an  old  woman. 

Then   she   retires. 

Her  white  robe,  made  of  the  bark  of  a  mulberry 
tree,  floats  gracefully  and  her  bare  rosy  feet  are  seen 
at  every  step  she  takes. 

The  atmosphere  was  perfumed  with  the  scent  of  the 
magnolia  she  left  behind  her.  She  looked  much  like 
Hero  at  the  feast  of  Abydos.  Such  as  Venus  pre- 
sented herself  in  the  forest  of  Carthage  by  her  walk 
and  her  ambrosial  perfume  that  was  given  off  from 
her  tresses. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  guides  had  finished  their 
feast,  and  had  risen  saying:  "Now  let  us  go,"  and  the 
chief  made  answer:  "Go  where  your  spirit  directs." 
And  they  left,  the  chief  not  questioning  the  guides  as 
to  who  this  person  was  that  heaven  had  entrusted 
to  their  keeping. 

This  story  of  early  American  life  appeared  in  1801 
and  met  with  surprise  and  enthusiasm.  The  French 
found  much  that  was  new  and  original  in  the  romance 
of  America.  Everybody  read  Rene's  book,  and  most  of 
the  opinions  expressed  were  most  flattering. 

Occasionally  there  was  a  bit  of  adverse  criticism 
that  took  the  form  of  epigrams  and  witticisms. 

Before  Chateaubriand  realized  what  was  taking 
place  he  was  being  presented  to  Madame  Bacchiocci, 
then  to  the  other  sisters,  and  Lucien,  their  brother, 
introduced  him  to  the  consul  Napoleon. 

Then,  followed  his  work  on  the  Genius  of  Chris- 
tianity and  perhaps  the  best  known  of  these  chapters 
is  the  Nature  of  Mystery. 


44  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

He  says  there  is  nothing  beautiful,  sweet  and  great 
in  life,  except  those  things  that  are  mysterious.  The 
most  marvelous  sentiments  are  those  that  agitate 
and  confuse  us  a  little — and  shame  true  love.  Sincere 
friendships  are  full  of  hidden  secrets. 

You  might  say  that  hearts  that  love,  understand 
without  being  obliged  to  reveal  themselves  to  each 
other. 

Innocence  in  its  turn  which  is  only  a  holy  ignorance 
is  the  most  charming  of  mysteries. 

A  child  is  happy  because  he  knows  nothing.  An 
old  man  is  miserable  because  he  knows  everything, 
very  fortunately  for  him,  when  the  mysteries  of  life 
and  those  of  death  commence. 

If  it  is  thus  with  the  feelings,  it  is  thus  with  the  vir- 
tues. The  most  holy  are  those  which  come  directly 
from  God,  such  as  charity,  and  shrink  from  being 
looked  at. 

Germaine  de  Stael  was  antagonistic  to  the  kind  of 
writing  Rene  de  Chateaubriand  was  doing  and  she 
went  out  of  her  way  to  ridicule  his  chapter  "Examen 
de  la  virginite  sous  ses  rapports  poetiques." 

She  felt  confident  that  with  such  writings  as  this 
his  book  was  doomed  to  failure. 

She  thought  that  Chateaubriand  should  be  using  his 
genius  attacking  Napoleon  instead  of  flattering  him, 
for  she  wanted  Chateaubriand  to  remember  that  on 
the  twentieth  of  February,  1802,  he  had  eliminated 
twenty  members  from  the  Tribunal  and  Benjamin 
Constant  among  the  others. 

Chateaubriand  went  out  of  his  way  to  oppose  her  in 
his  Attala  and  other  essays.    She  threw  him  and  Napo- 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  45 

leon  her  gauntlet  by  publishing  her  book  "Literature 
considered  in  its  relations  with  social  institutions." 

This  challenge  on  her  part  of  the  de  Stael  explains 
why  the  great  philosopher  visited  her  salon  less  fre- 
quently and  why  the  lasting  friendship  between 
Juliette  and  him  did  not  begin  until  twelve  years  later. 


Chapter  IV 

Letters 

'BOUT  this   time,  Juliette  made  a  visit  to 
England. 

She  was  introduced  at  once  to  the 
Duchess  of  Devonshire,  a  woman  known 
for  her  great  beauty.  The  duchess  saw 
to  it  that  Juliette  made  the  acquaintance  of  Elizabeth 
Forster. 

Such  men  as  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  due  d'Orleans 
and  the  prince  de  Montpensier  vied  with  each  other 
to  entertain  her  and  to  enjoy  her  company. 

She  was  invited  to  theatres  and  to  the  opera  and 
wherever  she  went  the  staring  of  the  people  annoyed 
her  greatly. 

One  Sunday  morning  she  appeared  in  Kensington 
Gardens.  According  to  a  fashion  of  the  moment  she 
wore  a  hat  trimmed  with  a  lace  veil,  and  a  long  soft 
wrap  that  fell  to  her  feet. 

A  crowd  surrounded  her,  so  dense  that  she  was 
almost  smothered.  The  triumph  of  this  London  visit 
is  proven  in  this  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  her 
friend  Germaine. 

"Dear  Juliette,  you  remember  well,  a  person  who 
took  a  real  interest  in  you,  and  who  hopes  to  renew 
that  friendship  another  winter.  How  do  you  govern 
your  realm  of  beauty? 

"Your  Empire  appeals  to  me,  because  you  are  so 
good,  and  natural,  and  such  a  dear  nature,  and  that 
your  sweetness  is  seen  in  your  every  expression.     Of 

47 


48 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 


your  many  admirers  I  love  Adrien  Montmorency  the 
best.  I  have  received  remarkable  letters  expressing 
his  spirit  and  his  grace,  and  I  believe  in  the  genuine- 
ness of  his  affections  notwithstanding  the  charm  of  his 
manner. 

"For  the  rest,  his  word  of  solidity  comes  to  me  with 
such  force  that  I  feel  that  I  do  not  play  a  second  role 
in  his  heart.  But  you  are  the  heroine  of  all  his  senti- 
ments, heroine  of  all  his  tragedies  and  romances. 

"My  romance  of  Delphine  will  take  place  at  the  foot 
of  the  Alps.  It  will  appear  in  1802  and  I  hope  you  will 
read  it  with  interest.  I  get  much  pleasure  from  my 
work.  In  speaking  of  your  admirers  I  do  not  speak  of 
M.  de  Narbonne;  it  seems  to  me  if  he  classes  himself 
among  your  friends  I  should  rather  have  none.  *  *  *  " 

And  another  letter:  "Dear  Juliette,  I  left  you  suf- 
fering and  I  am  anxious  about  your  health.  I  hope 
that  you  will  send  me  some  news  by  my  messenger. 
As  soon  as  I  am  free  to  see  you,  I  shall  go  to  England 
but  I  trust  that  my  visit  will  not  bore  you. 

"The  doubt  you  had  of  me  in  the  last  visit,  created 
in  me  a  certain  defiance.  But  this  doubt  no  longer 
remains,  though  I  did  not  pardon  you  for  a  long  time. 
Now  I  am  sure  to  interest  you  because  I  have  mentioned 
the  coming  visit  to  Adrien.  You  will  hear  my  demur 
from  Fox,  for  he  has  asked  many  questions  about  you. 

"Here  are  the  papers  of  the  hospice  which  I  have 
sent  with  care,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  not  overlook 
the  little  girls  and  the  charming  prophecy  so  worthy 
of  your  large  heart.  What  has  happened  to  the  lovely 
Aline  and  to  the  Portuguese  Romance?  Tell  him  some- 
thing charming  from  me.  *     : 


#  >> 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  49 

One  of  the  leading  critics  of  the  time  says: 

"Nothing  could  be  more  touching  than  the  attach- 
ment that  existed  between  Madame  de  Stael  and 
Madame  Recamier.  Different  as  those  two  women 
were,  they  had  many  points  in  common. 

Madame  Recamier  was  tenderly  devoted  to  her 
mother  and  Madame  de  Stael  was  likewise  passionately 
attached  to  her  father.  The  quickness  of  the  one  in 
expressing  new  ideas  was  as  great  as  the  other's  ability 
in  grasping  them.  Germaine's  masculine  and  strong 
mind  discovered  all  things  and  Juliette's  delicate  and 
refined  mind  understood  them  all. 

This  formed  a  union  which  is  impossible  to  paint 
without  having  been  a  witness  to  the  association. 

Time  and  again  Juliette  promised  to  visit  Germaine 
who  had  been  exiled  by  Napoleon  to  Coppet,  on  the 
lake  of  Geneva. 

Her  house  there  was  an  unpretentious  brick  and 
stone  structure,  overlooking  the  lovely  waters  of  the 
lake. 

Cold  and  unattractive  though  it  was  without,  it  was 
richly  furnished.  The  walls  were  hung  with  handsome 
tapestries,  there  were  bright  satin  hangings,  while  the 
carved  furniture  was  also  richly  upholstered.  On  the 
marble  topped  tables  were  placed  busts  of  Juliette,  of 
Germaine's  son,  August  de  Stael,  and  the  walls  were 
adorned  with  paintings  of  herself  as  Corinne  and  in 
other  classic  poses. 

The  book  cases  in  the  library  and  studio  were  filled 
with  rare  editions  of  her  own  works  and  of  many  well 
known  writers  of  the  time. 

The  autumn  of  1807  had  been  brilliant  and  animated 


50  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

at  Coppet.  Among  the  many  guests  who  were  invited 
to  the  castle  were  M.  de  Montmorency,  Eleazar  Sab- 
ran,  Benjamin  Constant  and  Madame  Recamier. 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  gone  to  Switzerland 
but  not  the  first  time  she  had  left  Paris  to  see  her 
friend  in  exile. 

Juliette  was  delighted  by  the  new  surroundings:  the 
beauty  of  the  long  lake,  edged  by  the  Alps  appealed 
to  her.  Besides  her  own  galaxy  of  French  admirers 
she  met  there  the  German  poet  Werner,  many  bril- 
liant and  fascinating  Italians,  among  them  the  mar- 
quis de  Palmette,  Charles  de  la  Bedoyere  and  Pedro 
de  Souza. 

Sainte  Beuve  compared  Germaine  de  Stael's  Cop- 
pet  with  Voltaire's  Ferney. 

He  said:  "There  were  philosophical  and  general 
feelings  mixed  with  enthusiasms,  and  suicide  and 
divorce  had  representatives  there  as  well  as  duty  and 
virtue." 

But  there  were  many  others  who  come  ostensibly 
to  visit  Germaine  de  Stael.  Most  of  these  guests 
were  fascinated  for  the  moment  by  the  brilliancy  and 
cleverness  of  their  hostess  but  they  gave  their  hearts 
to   Juliette    Recamier. 

While  she  was  there  Madame  Lebrun  the  painter 
came  to  pay  homage  to  her  beauty.  Among  the 
others  were  M.  de  Sismondi  the  historian,  M.  de  Ba- 
rante  the  writer,  Eleazar  de  Sabran  and  count  de  Golof- 
kin,  a  Russian. 

It  was  here  at  that  time  she  met  Prince  Augustus 
of  Prussia,  the  son  of  Prince  Ferdinand,  and  nephew 
of  the  Great  Frederic.     He  was  made  prisoner  at  the 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  51 

battle  of  Saalfield  while  his  brother  Louis  was  killed 
in  the  same  engagement. 

Madame  de  Genlis  who  wrote  a  book  on  the  inter- 
esting meeting  of  the  prince  and  Juliette  speaks  of  the 
meeting  of  Athenais,  as  she  had  named  Juliette,  with 
royalty. 

There  was  a  custom  at  Coppet  that  the  guests  should 
write  little  notes  to  each  other  every  day.  Madame 
Recamier  received  many  letters  but  only  answered 
those  of  Madame  de  Stael. 

The  others  she  answered  with  a  smile  or  a  few  words 
when  meeting  them  the  next  day.  Prince  Augustus 
being  made  a  prisoner  on  the  eighth  of  February,  1807, 
after  his  release  went  first  to  Italy  and  then  to  Coppet. 

Germaine  had  invited  him  to  her  chateau  chiefly 
because  she  wanted  to  make  a  match  between  the 
prince  and  Juliette,  her  best  friend. 

He  came  at  Madame  de  Stael's  bidding  and  was  soon 
infatuated  by  Juliette's  charm  and  beauty,  as  had 
been  dozens  and  dozens  of  suitors  before  him. 

Madame  de  Genlis  speaks  of  Juliette  Recamier  in 
the  following  manner:  "The  prince  entered  the  salon 
with  Madame  de  Stael.  Suddenly  another  door 
opened  and  Athenais  appeared.  The  grace  of  her 
figure  and  the  charm  of  her  beauty  astonished  him. 
He  had  expected  to  find  a  woman  famous  for  her 
beauty,  proud  of  her  successes  and  with  a  confidence 
which  one  often  finds  in  famous  women. 

"But  instead  of  that  he  met  a  shy,  young  matron 
who  blushed  at  the  slightest  provocation." 

Prince  Augustus  was  noticeable  for  his  height,  his 
heavy  features,  and  golden  hair  which  framed  a  good- 


52  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

looking  but  rather  effeminate  face,  made  more  so  by 
an  ever  present  smile. 

His  pale  blue  eyes  were  fixed  with  attention  on  the 
warm  brown  orbs  and  beige  tresses  of  Juliette  Re- 
camier. After  dinner  they  did  not  go  out  of  doors  on 
account  of  the  great  heat. 

They  went  in  the  gallery  of  the  chateau  where  the 
prince  was  entertained  by  Juliette,  who  played  the 
harp  and  sang  songs.  This  strong,  good-looking 
chap  of  twenty-seven  was  captivated  by  her  loveli- 
ness and  her  youth. 

Another  writer  says:  "Juliette  Recamier  kept  to 
the  end  of  her  days  her  childish  laugh  and  jesting 
manner;  and  she  had  a  habit  of  putting  her  kerchief 
to  her  lips  with  a  certain  triumphant  way. 

"But  in  her  early  years  this  expression  of  childish 
caprice  mixed  with  a  gracious  manner  often  brought 
her  into  serious  complications.  All  these  men  who 
were  attracted  by  her  were  not  so  easily  gotten  rid  of;  for 
instance  Prince  Augustus  and  Mathieu  Montmorency. 

"She  had  about  her  certain  intrigues,  many  vio- 
lences and  revolts  in  her  attractive  hands  over  which 
she  triumphed  easily. 

"Impudent  in  her  innocence  I  have  heard  her  say 
that  she  loved  peril  for  others  and  for  herself.  With 
this  hazardous  and  cruel  desire  she  concerned  herself 
greatly.  She  was  good  and  had  a  tender  heart.  Though 
she  created  pain  without  wishing  to,  not  only  the  men 
revolted  against  this  coquetry,  but  women  who  were 
her  rivals,   felt  wounded. 

"There  was  a  serious  side  to  her  nature  and  a  char- 
ity which  was  hard  for  many  to  understand." 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  53 

"She  always  had  money  for  those  in  need.  Like- 
wise she  had  time  for  those  who  wished  her  counsel. 
This  was  the  feeling  she  inculcated  in  the  minds  of 
La  Harpe,  Le  Montey,  the  Montmorencies,  Constant, 
Ballanche,  the  Amperes,  the  Prince  Augustus  and 
finally  Chateaubriand." 

The  same  writer  adds:  "With  her  natural  instinct 
of  purity  and  of  real  beauty,  she  felt  kindly  herself. 
Besides  she  was  so  admired  and  adored  that  one  can- 
not forget  her  youth,  neither  her  sunny  mornings  nor 
the  day  dreams  with  which  she  embellished  them. 

"Her  childlike  face  with  its  shy  expression,  invari- 
ably looked  away  rather  than  towards  the  speaker 
and  this  habit  caused  the  prince  to  remark  to  Ger- 
maine:  'You  know  what  she  is  to  the  world  but  you 
do  not  know  what  she  is  to  me.  In  any  other  time 
she  would  have  been  the  charm  of  my  life,  but  here, 
she  is  life  itself.  Here  I  enjoy  all  her  soul,  one  of  the 
purest  which  has  been  created.  I  enjoy  her  high  and 
simple  mind  which  is  so  firm  and  graceful,  so  refined 
and  natural.  Ever  occupied  with  her  friend's  suc- 
cesses, she  has  no  pretensions  and  yet  might  have 
them  all.'  " 

The  prince  wasted  no  time  in  making  his  confession 
of  love  to  Juliette. 

This  proud  woman  blushed  and  her  heart  beat  quickly 
with  pride.  But  she  explained  that  though  she  was 
flattered  by  the  prince's  confession,  she  must  say 
"No."  It  must  be  friendship  and  nothing  more. 
"My  religion  opposes  divorce  especially  with  the  idea 
of  remarriage,"   she   explained. 

To  this  the  prince  answered  "Yes,  but  as  your  friend 


54  The  Life   of  Juliette  Recamier 

Germaine  de  Stael  says, — your  husband  is  one  in  name 
only. 

Juliette  thought  for  an  instant  and  queried:  "But 
suppose  I  should  obtain  a  divorce?  I  feel  sure  that 
your  uncle  Frederic  the  Great,  would  object  to  a 
prince  of  royal  blood  marrying  a  mere  Frenchwoman." 

Prince  Augustus  bowed  low  and  with  his  most 
gracious  smile  replied:  "Remember  that  your  beauty, 
modesty  and  charm,  would  overcome  any  prejudice 
that  my  uncle  might  have.  To  show  you  that  I  am 
sincere  in  what  I  have  said,  allow  me  to  prove  it  to 
you. 

Taking  a  penknife  from  a  pocket,  he  suddenly  cut  a 
small  vein  in  his  wrist,  and  dipped  a  pen  in  the  blood. 
Seizing  a  bit  of  paper  from  a  nearby  desk,  he  wrote 
these  words:  "I  swear  bv  mv  honor  and  bv  mv  love 
to  conserve  in  all  its  purity  the  sentiment  which  I 
attach  to  Juliette  Recamier;  to  keep  the  sentiment,  to 
concern  myself  with  all  the  affairs  that  will  make  this 
marriage  possible  and  not  to  interest  myself  in  any 
other  woman,  while  I  have  the  hope  of  uniting  myself 
with  her." 

When  the  fact  became  generally  known  that  the 
prince  was  laying  siege  to  Juliette's  heart,  Benjamin 
Constant  felt  piqued  for  he  had  been  in  love  with  her 
for  years,  though  she  never  had  yielded  to  his  words 
of  praise. 

With  little  imagination  one  can  fancy  him  saying: 

"Time  counts  for  little  when  I  have  a  rival  as  subtle 
as  a  German  prince.  Yes,  very  subtle.  Do  you  remem- 
ber, Juliette,  how  clever  he  was  when  riding  horse- 
back with  us  yesterday?  The  prince  said  to  me:'M.  de 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  55 

Constant,  suppose  you  take  a  little  gallop  ahead?' 
Juliette  laughed  lightly  and  the  woebegone  lover  con- 
tinued: "I  was  obliged,  naturally,  to  ride  ahead,  but  I 
understood  thoroughly  what  the  prince  meant  and 
desired." 

Before  the  prince  left  the  chateau  he  had  Juliette's 
promise  to  write  often,  a  promise  that  Juliette  sealed 
by  the  gift  of  some  beautiful  flowers. 

The  prince  in  turn  gave  to  her  a  gold  bracelet, 
attached  to  a  chain,  which  contained  a  heart  made  of 
a  priceless  ruby.  Juliette  had  already  written  to  her 
husband  and  told  him  that  the  prince  had  asked  her 
hand  in  marriage,  if  she  were  free,  and  asked  Recamier 
to  release  her  from  her  wedded  vows. 

The  answer  came  that  if  she  so  wished  it,  he  would 
grant  her  request,  provided  that  the  divorce  should  be 
granted  somewhere  outside  of  Paris. 

"But,"  he  wrote,  "I  still  love  you  as  much,  yes, 
even  more  than  I  did  the  day  I  took  you,  a  young 
beautiful  girl,  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville." 

In  the  meantime  Prince  Augustus  was  sending  her 
passionate  love  letters.  Two  of  a  number  of  these 
letters  are  published  by  Edouard  Herriot  in  a  work 
on  Madame  Recamier  and  Her  Friends,  and  they 
were  copied  from  the  unpublished  archives  of  M.  de 
Lomenie. 

On  the  sixth  of  November,  1807,  the  prince  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  her:  "I  write  to  you,  my  dear 
Juliette,  from  a  little  town,  two  days  distant  from 
where  I  shall  be  located  for  some  time.  I  experienced 
some  sad  feelings  when  I  went  through  that  country 
where    I    lost    a   dear   brother.      Since    his    body   was 


56  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

embalmed  I  was  in  hopes  that  I  might  recognize  him, 
but  unfortunately  that  was  not  the  case.  I  heard  of 
the  brave  way  in  which  he  lost  his  heroic  life,  which 
was  oh,  so  much  more  than  his  death.  It  is  only  when 
I  think  of  you,  my  dear,  that  I  can  soften  the  sadness 
by  which  I  am  held.  The  pleasure  I  had  in  meeting 
my  parents,  my  children  and  my  friends  shall  be 
mixed  with  unpleasant  remembrances.  The  hope  that 
I  shall  still  be  useful  to  my  country,  this  alone,  makes 
these  feelings  bearable. 

"It  is  now  very  late  and  someone  is  waiting  to  for- 
ward this  letter  for  me.    Goodbye,  Augustus." 

Madame  Recamier  answered  this  letter  by  reassur- 
ing the  prince  that  she  would  keep  her  promise. 

She  tried  to  let  him  know  that  she  had  scruples 
concerning  her  husband's  reply  to  her  letter.  That  in 
spite  of  his  present  misfortune,  he  looked  for  good 
fortune  ahead. 

On  the  14th  of  November  Augustus  wrote  to  Juli- 
ette the  following  letter:  "I  had,  dear  Juliette,  the 
inexpressible  joy  that  seldom  comes,  by  receiving  your 
letter.  You  have  calmed  my  fears  which  were  strong 
until  I  received  your  dear  words.  I  see  no  change  to 
your  faithful  promise.  But  I  fear  for  the  obstacles 
over  which  we  have  no  control. 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  paint  for  you  the  joy 
my  return  has  brought  to  my  parents  and  to  my  friends. 
My  father  and  mother  felt  that  they  would  never  see 
me  again.  Unfortunately,  we  have  not  seen  the  last 
of  the  evils,  and  that  makes  me  worry  for  our  very 
existence.  I  have  announced  my  homecoming  to  my 
cousins  and  I  am  awaiting  their  letters. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  57 

"Your  tender  fears  for  M.  Recamier  have  amused 
me  much  and  the  results  have  given  me  hope  for  the 
future.  It  is  my  good  fortune  that  he  does  not  know 
how  to  appreciate  you  and  that  I  have  profited  by  the 
happiness  that  he  might  have  had. 

"If  you  are  necessary  to  his  happiness  how  could 
he  amuse  himself  in  your  absence?  I  swear  to  you 
dear  Juliette  that  I  can  no  longer  be  happy  without 
you,  and  I  am  waiting  with  impatience  the  moment 
when  I  shall  have  the  good  fortune  of  seeing  you 
again.  Do  not  forget  the  portrait  which  you  promised 
me.  I  have  already  given  orders  to  have  a  portrait 
painter  found  to  do  mine  for  you.  Goodbye  dear  love, 
give  me  more  news  of  yourself,  shortly,  for  this  is  my 
only  consolation,  when  I  am  away  from  you." 


Chapter  V 

The  Intrusion  of  Sorrow 

iITTLE  by  little  Juliette  Recamier  realized 
that  there  were  many  obstacles  between 
the  prince  and  herself,  and  her  letters 
grew  less  frequent. 

Especially  she  realized  the  obstacles 
that  stood  in  his  way;  securing  a  divorce  from  his 
present  wife,  placating  his  uncle  Frederic  and  these 
dreads   now   filled   her   with   fear. 

Many  of  her  friends  censured  her  for  this  serious 
and  dangerous  flirtation. 

Camille  Jordan  was  among  this  number.  On  the 
other  hand  Germaine  de  Stael  was  equally  emphatic 
in  the  prince's  favor.  She  argued  with  Juliette  that 
she  would  be  better  off  at  the  German  court  than  con- 
stantly living  in  danger  of  being  served  with  a  letter 
of  cachet  by  Napoleon. 

Juliette  tried  to  forget  these  pangs  of  remorse  that 
shook  her  very  nature  during  those  last  days  at  Cop- 
pet  by  entering  into  some  of  the  dancing  parties  and 
theatricals  that  were  given  there. 

Speaking  of  her  beautiful  dancing,  Morand,  the 
famous  teacher,  in  his  Souvenir  de  Geneva  writes: 
"During  the  year  that  I  had  the  pleasure  of  vegetating 
there,  I  should  have  been  dead  of  ennui  a  hundred 
times,  if  I  had  not  had  the  joy  of  dancing  with  one  of 
your  compatriots,  a  woman  whose  memory  shall  al- 
ways remain  with  me. 

"A  woman  who  embodied  the  grace,  the  ease,  the 

59 


60  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

subtlety  and  the  charm  of  Terpsichorean  Art."  And 
he  continued: 

"Without  doubt  you  remember  this  admirable 
creature.  Who  has  not  heard  of  the  beautiful  Juliette 
Recamier  and  who  has  not  admired  her  lovely  pictures? 

"One  day  when  I  had  the  honor  of  finding  myself 
at  Coppet,  Madame  de  Stael  was  anxiously  awaiting, 
to  see  Juliette  dance  the  gavotte  and  she  implored  me 
to  be  her  partner.  Ah  Monsieur,  what  an  adorable 
creature,  what  abandon,  what  freedom  in  all  her 
movements.     It  is  enough  to  make  one  lose  his  head. 

"Also  I  surpassed  myself.  I  could  not  have  danced 
better.  Madame  de  Stael  carried  away  with  enthu- 
siasm, embarrassed  her  friend  and  cried:  'Bravo,  Mo- 
rand.'  A  bravo  from  Germaine  de  Stael,  monsieur,  was 
a  great  balm  for  me. 

"It  meant  more  to  me  than  any  of  the  applause  at 
the  Paris  Opera.  Oh,  it  was  a  beautiful  joy.  The 
most  beautiful  in  my  life,  perhaps.  A  real  antidote 
against  the  ungrateful  lessons  which  I  had  to  give  to 
those  men  and  women  whose  joints  were  more  fash- 
ioned for  bending  than  for  dancing." 

Juliette  also  had  considerable  dramatic  talent  and 
her  acting  was  always  admired. 

The  big  theatrical  success  of  the  season  was  "Thera- 
mene,"  a  drama  in  which  an  old  man  was  conspicu- 
ously figured. 

The  part  was  played  by  M.  Prangins,  whose  figure 
was  colossal  and  in  the  play  he  looked  like  a  demi- 
god. But  the  spectators  were  delighted  with  the 
part  of  Ancie,  which  was  portrayed  by  Juliette  Re- 
camier. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  6i 

Her  friends  said  that  it  was  a  triumph  of  art  over 
nature,  for  she  put  into  the  part  the  sweetness,  the 
simplicity,  the  modesty  and  seduction  that  were  re- 
quired and  a  certain  melancholy. 

Madame  de  Stael  played  the  r6le  of  Phedre,  because 
it  gave  her  an  opportunity  to  play  herself. 

The  chateau  of  Coppet  was  soon  emptied  of  its  bril- 
liant guests.  Germaine  had  planned  a  second  trip  to 
Germany  and  Austria.  She  took  with  her  M.  Schle- 
gel,  a  tutor  to  her  children.  Benjamin  Constant 
stayed  behind  for  he  had  just  completed  his  Wallen- 
stein. 

Juliette  returned  to  Paris  and  her  husband  pleaded 
so  hard,  that  she  finally  wrote  to  Prince  Augustus  ex- 
plaining that  she  appreciated  his  profound  respect 
and  admiration,  but  wished  to  be  released  from  her 
promise. 

During  this  year  of  separation  Germaine  and  Juli- 
ette wrote  to  each  other  frequently,  and  the  letters 
from  Germaine  were  counted  among  her  most  brilliant 
achievements. 

On  the  twentieth  of  December  Germaine  wrote 
from  Munich:  "I  have  passed  five  days  here  and  I 
leave  Vienna  in  an  hour.  Now  I  am  thirty  leagues 
further  away  from  all  that  is  dear  to  me.  My  heart 
is  in  Italy  but  society  here  has  been  delightful  and 
all  have  spoken  of  you,  my  beautiful  friend,  with  ad- 
miration. 

"You  have  a  wonderful  reputation.  The  bracelet 
you  gave  to  me  caused  the  men  to  kiss  my  hands  very 
often,  and  I  received  a  great  amount  of  homage.  I 
no  longer  like  Munich.     It  petrifies  me." 


62  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

At  no  time  in  her  life  was  Juliette  more  stricken 
than  when  she  returned  to  Paris  in  1807. 

The  grief  because  of  her  mother's  death  was  still 
keen.  The  loss  of  her  husband's  fortune  meant  that 
she  must  sell  her  lovely  home  and  furniture  and  prac- 
tice the  strictest  economy.  She  was  still  fond  of  Prince 
Augustus  and  would  have  waited  until  all  obstacles 
had  been  brushed  away,  had  it  not  been  that  her 
sense  of  duty  controlled  her  actions. 

Rochefoucauld,  discussing  Madame  Recamier,  says 
that  she  was  a  grand  and  spiritual  woman;  amiable 
at  all  times.  Yet,  always  a  coquette,  conquering  and 
prudent,  unsatiable  in  her  thirst  for  homage  and 
adoration,  consummate  in  the  art  of  distributing  her 
grace  and  friendship  and  placing  her  vanity  on  guard, 
for  conquests  as  well  as  to  be  conquered. 

He  adds  that  she  was  much  more  beloved  than  lov- 
ing, because  she  never  really  gave  herself  up  to  any- 
one, and  conserved  at  all  times,  because  she  would 
not  fling  herself  away.  True  queen  of  the  salon,  in 
her  little  room  at  the  Abbaye  aux  Bois,  as  well  as  in 
her  former  beautiful  home  in  the  Chaussee  d'Antin, 
ever  a  charming  hostess,  but  much  more  than  that — 
a  good  wife  and  a  good  mother  to  her  adopted  child, 
a  fine  friend  to  her  many  would-be  lovers. 

Isolated  in  the  midst  of  her  adorers,  worshiped 
by  loyal  friends,  by  devoted  servants — she  was  too 
amiable  with  everyone  to  be  always  sincere. 

Exhausted  at  times  by  the  Empire  in  which  she 
ruled,  but  always  contented  to  receive  homage,  she 
was  in  harmony  with  nature  and  what  it  held  for  her. 

Juliette's  constitution  then  as  later,  was  strong  and 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  63 

healthy,  except  for  twinges  of  rheumatism  from  which 
she  had  suffered  ever  since  girlhood.  Because  of  this 
malady  she  was  constantly  looking  for  fresh  air,  ex- 
ercise and  solitude. 

Time  and  again  she  told  her  friends:  "Blessed  be 
the  independence  of  my  soul.  Traveling  tires  me  but 
I  love  it  because  of  the  independence  it  gives,  as  I  am 
inclined  to  country  life,  since  it  gives  me  solitude. 

"Solitude  pleases  me,  but  at  times  I  even  am  wearied 
by  this  very  desire  for  solitude.  I  have  inherited  this 
one  illness  which  I  must  carry  through  life." 


Chapter  VI 

A  Summer  at  Coppet 

HOUGH  Germaine  de  Stael  was  now  in 
exile  in  Switzerland,  never  was  her  salon 
more  brilliant  than   at    Coppet. 

Most  of  the  savants  went  to  Coppet 
to  enjoy  the  surroundings  and  to  listen 
to  literary  and  political  discussions  and  even  her 
women  friends  enjoyed  the  lovely  country  and  the 
atmosphere  created  by  the  great  writers  and  phil- 
osophers of  the  time. 

Alexander  Adryne,  a  writer,  after  visiting  this  unique 
estate  on  Lake  Geneva,  writes:  "Alas,  I  turn  my  eyes 
to  recall  Coppet,  where  Madame  de  Stael  made  a 
reputation  so  celebrated  by  the  halo  of  her  glory;  an 
astonishing  woman  who  attracts,  seduces  you,  en- 
livens you,  makes  you  have  faith  in  the  destiny  of 
man  by  showing  you  what  is  good  and  worth  while. 
A  heart  which  loves  the  true,  the  beautiful  and  in- 
spires you. 

"To  characterize  her  work,  to  specify  the  quality 
of  her  genius,  one  must  compose  a  word,  and  this 
word  is  'Heart.'  Mentality,  that  is  to  say  an  associa- 
tion of  the  sensibility  and  the  subtlety  of  enthusi- 
asm of  reason — of  poetry  and  of  analysis. 

"It  is  not  that  she  degrades  the  human  species. 

"Her  history  if  she  finds  time  to  write  one,  will  not 
be  a  pleading  and  philippic  against  the  human  race, 
but  a  lesson  for  those  who  wish  to  study  it. 

"In   reading  it   I   am   proud   to  understand,  proud 

65 


66  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

to  feel  even  to  the  last  intricacy  of  thought,  the  judg- 
ments, the  elated  poetry  of  a  soul  which  is  alone  and 
shall  remain  alone  as  a  brilliant  illustration  that  God 
does  not  exclude  from  his  world  the  intellectuals,  but 
gives  them  an  opportunity  to  sing  of  the  glory  of  his 
creation. 

"We  reached  the  chateau  and  asked  permission  to 
see  her  when  I  suddenly  recalled  the  real  purpose  of 
my  visit  was  to  see  the  illustrious  Morand,  teacher 
of  dancing,  to  whom  I  had  promised  to  pay  my  respects. 

"In  a  few  minutes  Madame  de  Stael  appeared  and 
soon  we  were  chatting  together.  Nothing  may  be 
imagined  more  singular,  more  original  than  this  place, 
the  woodwork  and  panels  being  painted  in  five  differ- 
ent colors." 

At  this  time  Camille  Jordan  did  much  to  help 
Juliette  Recamier  when  she  was  most  perplexed. 
While  a  young  man  Camille  visited  Germany  and 
Switzerland  with  a  friend  called  Degarando. 

Mathieu  Montmorency,  one  of  Juliette's  most  inti- 
mate friends,  was  with  him.  Then  he  made  a  tour  of 
England  and  returned  to  France.  During  those  early 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century  he  made  the  friend- 
ship of  Juliette  Recamier,  Germaine  de  Stael  and 
later  on  with  Ballanche. 

Being  at  Coppet  a  part  of  the  time  when  the  Prince 
Augustus  was  there  he  was  opposed  to  this  flippant 
courtship,  and  she  listened  to  his  counsel. 

She  was  attracted  to  him,  and  she  inspired  him 
with  a  great  esteem,  and  a  true  confidence.  He  di- 
vided this  feeling  with  Mathieu  de  Montmorency, 
though  in  a  less  degree,  but  his  friendship  was  more  rigid. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  67 

Few  men  had  the  same  amount  of  great  qualities 
and  severer  virtues  which  commanded  the  respect 
and  the  charms  that  went  all  through  life. 

The  turn  of  originality  in  his  mind,  his  ardor,  a 
certain  naive  candor  even  to  the  point  of  being  a  bit 
provincial  added  to  his  charm. 

The  following  is  only  one  of  many  charming  letters 
that  Camille  Jordan  wrote  to  her  during  these  years: 

"I  understand  how  much  suffering  you  have  gone 
through.  Though  I  have  not  seen  you  in  a  long  time 
I  appreciate  how  much  you  have  suffered  and  through 
your  other  misfortunes,  how  much  emptiness  is  left 
in  your  life.     That  has  made  your  soul  sombre. 

"With  my  sincere  feelings  I  offer  you  consolation. 
You  have  many  friends  and  they  have  the  warmest 
feelings  of  sympathy  for  you.  I  hope  that  you  will 
always  put  me  among  those  friends  who  have  made 
life  sweet  for  you. 

"Remember  me  kindly  to  M.  Recamier,  to  your 
cousin  and  to  Madame  de  Catellan.  You  have  not 
answered  my  last  letters.  Please  give  me  some  news 
of  yourself  through  the  latter  lady.  I  hope  that  I 
shall  hear  that  you  are  less  sad  than  I  thought  and 
believe  me,  your  warm  friend,  Camille  Jordan." 

The  high  tide  in  Juliette's  life  was  between  1808 
and  1 810,  when  a  correspondence  took  place  between 
Germaine  de  Stael  and  herself.  Although  Juliette 
had  given  up  the  idea  of  accepting  Prince  Augustus' 
love  she  enjoyed  receiving  news  of  Austrian  and  German 
court  life,  as  this  letter  from  Madame  de  Stael  shows: 

"I  think  in  tenderness,  while  writing  you,  of  my 
little  cell.     In  reading  this  letter  your  feeling  is  warmer 


68  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

for  the  ten  years  of  acquaintanceship;  an  affection  so 
sweet  and  pure  that  nothing  can  alter  it  and  on  which 
we  can  repose  our  entire  future.  But  how  sad  it  is 
that  I  write  this  to  you  two  hundred  leagues  away, 
and  am  not  able  to  dine  with  you  and  meet  your 
family. 

"At  least  I  hope  that  we  all  shall  be  united  some 
day.  You  think  of  me  who  could  be  so  happy  and 
who  is  so  far  away  and  sad.  Good-bye — good-bye. 
Be  happy  and  remember  your  friend,  Germaine." 

Writing  from  Coppet,  Germaine  says: 

"How  much  your  amiable  letter  touched  me,  dear 
friend;  how  good  of  you  to  copy  all  the  news  and  send 
it  to  me.  The  whole  household  here  assembled  to 
read  them,  and  they  run  from  room  to  room  exclaim- 
ing: 'There  is  a  letter  from  Juliette  Recamier.'  You 
have,  during  one  moment,  by  your  letter  taken  again 
that  place  and  inspired  that  life  and  interest  which 
you  used  to  put  in  us,  at  the  castle  of  Coppet,  now  so 
silent  and  serious. 

"I  have  made  a  sacrifice  to  prudence  for  you  in 
giving  up  seeing  you  this  year  but  next  summer  noth- 
ing shall  hinder  our  meeting. 

"My  theatre  is  a  solitude.  I  do  not  have  the  cour- 
age to  play  Wallenstein.  When  you  are  not  here  I 
have  little  desire  to  take  any  pleasure.  Therefore  I 
work  on  my  letters  a  great  deal.     Germaine." 

About  this  same  time  Juliette  received  the  follow- 
ing letter:  "Dear  Juliette,  my  heart  is  beating  with 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  you.  Try  to  give  me  as  much 
time  as  it  is  possible,  for  I  am  staying  here  for  three 
months  only  and  I  have  to  speak  to  you  of  three  years. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  69 

"Invite  those  of  your  friends  and  of  mine  who  do 
not  fear  solitude  and  exile.  I  wish  that  chance  would 
lead  M.  Lemontey  in  those  parts.  I  would  give  him 
my  book  to  read. 

"Could  not  Talma  give  me  a  few  days?  I  hope 
you  will  like  it  here  but  if  I  find  again  what  made 
me  so  happy  at  Coppet,  I  trust  that  you  will  not 
become  sad.  Will  you  tell  M.  Adrien  that  I  flatter 
myself  with  the  idea  of  seeing  him  and  that  I  apply 
to  Mathieu  to  help  me? 

"You  must  get  to  Ecure,  Dept.  of  Loure  and  Cher, 
three  leagues  farther  than  Blois.  This  is  also  my 
address  for  letters,  and  there  a  little  boat  will  bring 
you  to  the  castle  of  Catherine  of  Medici  who  has 
done  more  evil  than  you. 

"Tell  me  the  hour,  so  that  I  may  meet  you.  It 
will  take  you  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  hours  and 
it  will  perhaps  be  best  to  stay  a  night  at  Orleans  and 
come  on  here  for  dinner.  It  would  be  less  tiresome 
for  you.     I  press  you  to  my  heart." 

In  the  year  18 10  Madame  Recamier  went  to  take 
the  waters  at  Aix  en  Savoie  and  then  went  to  visit 
Germaine  de  Stael  who  had  left  Germany  and  taken 
up  her  residence  at  the  chateau  Chaumont  sur  Loire 
to  superintend  the  editing  of  her  work  on  Germany. 

The  chateau  which  appeared  in  all  its  splendor  was 
doubly  interesting  from  a  point  of  view  of  art.  The 
Cardinal  Amboise,  Diana  of  Poitiers,  Catherine  de 
Medici  had  all  been  its  guests.  It  was  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Loire.  The  large  Gothic  towers 
gave  a  view  of  vastness  to  the  place  with  moss  and 
a  high  terrace. 


70  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

The  court  was  filled  with  flowers  for  this  was  a 
most  fertile  part  of  France.  Madame  de  Stael  spent 
some  days  there  in  the  company  of  Juliette,  Mathieu 
de  Montmorency,  the  two  Barrantes  and  William 
Schlegel. 

Benjamin  Constant  who  had  been  spending  much 
of  his  time  at  Coppet  took  every  opportunity  to  con- 
tinue his  romantic  correspondence  with  Juliette.  From 
Coppet  he  addressed  her  in  these  words:  "You  wrote, 
madame,  such  an  agreeable  letter  to  Madame  de 
Stael  that  without  doubt  she  will  promptly  answer  it. 
I  have  no  pretext  for  writing  to  discuss  the  com- 
mission you  gave  me.  I  confess  that  I  am  writing  to 
you  for  the  pleasure  it  gives  me,  and  to  recall  to  you 
that  if  you  have  forgotten  me  it  will  mean  great  suf- 
fering. I  have  been  here  nearly  eight  days  but  Coppet 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  real  desert  without  you.  Mathieu 
alone  is  here  and  he  expects  to  remain  three  weeks 
more.     I  do  not  know  if  M.  de  Sabran  is  expected. 

'There  is  to  be  a  grand  Swiss  fete  here  next  week. 
This  will  be  a  small  souvenir  of  last  year.  Madame 
de  Stael  seems  to  be  less  happy  about  her  separation 
from  Paris  than  when  you  saw  her  last.  I  have  not 
finished  Wallenstein.  Do  you  know  if  Prospere  is 
in  Paris?  If  he  is,  he  could  not  be  passing  his  life  in 
any  better  way  than  in  your  company,  and  he  is  fortu- 
nate in  having  permission   to  consecrate  himself. 

"I  am  resigned  to  let  him  play  my  part  of  confidant 
until  my  return  to  Paris.  This  role  belongs  to  me  and 
I  hope  you  will  not  give  it  permanently  to  another. 
Good-bye,  madame;  believe  me  there  is  no  person 
more  constant  than   Constant." 


Chapter  VII 

Juliette's  Exile 

'NOTHER  short  glimpse  of  happiness 
came  into  Juliette's  life  while  she  was 
visiting  her  friend  Germaine  in  the  stately 
chateau  at  Chaumont  sur  Loire.  A  charm 
gushed  into  her  young  life  as  she  sauntered 
through  the  lovely  woods  and  picked  flowers  in  the 
gardens    during    those    warm,    lazy    summer    months. 

Germaine  was  busy  during  the  day  examining  the 
proof  sheets  of  her  three-volumed  book  on  Germany, 
and  giving  them  to  some  friends  to  read.  Both  women 
were  so  care-free  that  they  felt  that  nothing  could 
mar  the  joy  of  this  isolated  retreat. 

They  improvised  concerts  and  frequently  Juliette 
sang  while  Albertine  de  Stael  accompanied  her  on  the 
harp.  As  Germaine  said:  "God  wishes  this  to  be 
the   summer   of  summers." 

Auguste  de  Stael,  Germaine's  only  son,  had  grown 
to  manhood. 

This  tall,  well  built  young  fellow  with  dark  hair 
and  eyes  appreciated  Juliette's  beauty,  ever  increas- 
ing in  spite  of  heartaches.  By  the  twenty-third  of 
September,  the  proofs  were  revised.  Germaine  had 
persuaded  Juliette  to  return  to  Paris  and  present  the 
manuscript  to  Esmenard,  censor  of  the  theatre  and 
libraries,  and  chief  of  the  third  division  of  general 
police. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  September,  Germaine  went 
with   Mathieu  de  Montmorency  to   the  "vast  plaines 

71 


72  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

of  Vendomois."  Toward  midnight  they  heard  strangers 
entering  the  chateau  of  Conan  which  belonged  to 
Montmorency's  family.  The  romance  of  the  adven- 
ture, the  originality  of  the  escapade,  made  her  for- 
get the  police. 

The  police  entered  the  chateau  with  orders  to  seize 
all  the  manuscripts  on  Germany.  M.  Fortuny  Gor- 
bigny  was  a  gallant  official.  He  awaited  the  return 
of  Madame  de  Stael;  her  son  Auguste  arrived  in  time 
to  save  the  scripts,  but  when  Mathieu  saw  her,  he 
found  her  weeping  over  the  thought  of  being  separated 
from  her  newly  finished  work. 

In  the  meanwhile  Germaine  had  been  in  Paris  es- 
corted by  her  son  Auguste  de  Stael.  She  was  using 
her  most  winning  glances  and  charming  smiles  on  the 
Duke  of  Rovigno  and  others.  He  answered  that 
Madame  de  Stael  had  made  a  mistake  in  praising 
the  Prussians. 

He  told  Auguste  that  his  mother  might  stay  where 
she  was  for  seven  or  eight  days  longer,  but  no  more. 
In  the  meantime  Juliette  was  using  her  influence  with 
Queen  Hortense.  Germaine  sent  to  Juliette  a  letter 
which  she  had  written  to  the  Emperor  and  it  was 
presented  to  him  by  Hortense.    It  ran  as  follows: 

"They  have  told  your  majesty  that  I  miss  Paris 
because  of  the  Museums  and  because  of  Talma.  This 
exile  is  surely  an  agreeable  pastime  though  Cicero 
and  Bolinbroke  have  said  that  it  is  unsupportable. 
But  how  much  I  love  those  masterpieces  of  art 
that  France  owes  to  your  majesty.  When  I  think  of 
the  tragedies,  images  of  heroism,  I  realize  that  we 
owe  them   to  you. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  73 

"And  if  Heaven  gave  me  imagination,  I  must  use 
it  to  enjoy  these  arts.  So  many  people  ask  so  many 
things  of  your  majesty,  why  need  I  blush  to  ask  for 
friendship,  for  poetry,  for  music,  pictures — all  that  is 
ideal,  which  I  owe  to  the  monarch  of  France." 

Napoleon  was  touched  by  this  letter,  but  he  said: 

"I  do  not  wish  this  woman  back  in  France,  and  I 
have  good  reasons.  If  she  were  Republican  or  Royal- 
ist, it  would  make  no  difference  to  me;  she  is  a  ma- 
chine in  movement  that  stirs  salons." 

With  this  answer  Juliette  went  back  to  Paris  and 
Madame  de  Stael  had  her  book  seized  and  was  ordered 
out  of  France.  On  the  sixth  of  October,  Germaine  passed 
through  Fosse,  still  in  doubt  whether  she  was  bound 
for  the  United  States  or  for  England. 

Juliette  knew  before  she  was  through  with  the 
police  in  Paris,  that  it  was  Napoleon  who  wished  the 
book  of  her  friend  suppressed.  He  held  that  it  was 
anti-French,  dangerous  to  him  and  to  the  political 
life  of  the  nation.  It  was  in  18 10  that  Juliette's  friend 
of  early  childhood,  William  von  Humboldt,  who  was 
indifferent  in  political  affairs,  took  a  hand  in  form- 
ing the  higher  education  of  Germany  by  the  founding 
of  the  University  of  Berlin. 

Speaking  of  this  and  other  literary  German  move- 
ments, Germaine  de  Stael  wrote:  "Nothing  dominates 
this   world   but  ideas." 

Juliette  remained  in  Paris  for  a  short  time  receiv- 
ing letters  from  Germaine.  They  were  filled  with 
doubt  whether  she  would  go  abroad  or  remain  in 
France.  Juliette  persuaded  some  of  her  friends  to 
visit  Coppet  from  time  to  time.    She  first  commended 


74  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Prospere  to  Germaine's  care.  Germaine  was  delighted 
with  the  short  interview  she  had  with  him  and  thanked 
Juliette  for  her  kindness,  and  begged  her  to  use  her 
influence  also  with   Benjamin   Constant. 

Juliette  finally  accomplished  this  and  Germaine 
wrote  to  her:  "No  one  can  have  any  idea  of  what 
exile  is.  It  is  the  hydra-headed  monster  as  regards 
unhappiness." 

Juliette  finally  stopped  all  intercourse  with  Prince 
Augustus  of  Prussia.  She  was  told  that  the  prince 
was  leading  a  most  retired  life,  excepting  during  times 
of  court  presentations. 

Juliette  was  now  determined  to  forget  her  romantic 
affair  in  her  domestic  life,  looking  after  the  personal 
wants  of  her  husband  and  the  household.  About  this 
time  she  adopted  a  young  girl,  a  niece  of  Monsieur 
Recamier.  She  later  in  life  became  Madame  Lenormant 
and  has  in  her  possession  some  of  the  most  prized 
documents  referring  to  Juliette  Recamier  and  her  friends. 

Madame   Lenormant,   writing   of  her   aunt,   says: 

"Suddenly  my  uncle  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led 
me  to  the  house  where  he  lived  with  his  wife  at  32  Rue 
Blanc.  I  still  remember  that  visit;  she  was  robed  in 
white,  her  hair  was  beautifully  dressed  and  she  was 
reclining  on  a  lounge,  placed  near  a  hearth,  close  to 
her  portrait  by  Gerard. 

"General  Junot  was  seated  near  by.  My  uncle 
opened  the  door  and  as  I  entered  Madame  Recamier 
said:  'Here  is  the  little  one  I  have  been  waiting  for!' 
To  be  exact  I  had  been  going  to  school  for  more 
than  a  year;  to  a  religious  school  at  Belley  where  they 
taught  us  to  read — but  I  feigned  that  I  could  not  read. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  75 

"My  aunt  put  a  book  in  my  hand  and  said:  'Please 
read  that,  for  me.'  I  took  the  book  and  without  any 
hesitation  I  tried  to  read  a  chapter  dedicated  to  M. 
le  Dauphin.  My  aunt  laughed  and  said  that  she 
must  teach  me  how  to  read  properly."  In  the  midst 
of  extreme  pressure  and  successes  which  forced  them- 
selves on  her,  Madame  Recamier,  after  her  with- 
drawal from  society,  modified  her  regime  with  this  child. 

At  this  same  time  the  young  Ampere  came  into  her 
life;  he  was  but  eighteen  and  a  half  years  of  age.  His 
admiration  for  Juliette  is  the  story  of  a  boy's  first 
love  affair  with  a  woman  considerably  older  than 
himself.  He  was  attracted  by  her  beauty  and  charm 
which   he  colored  with   his  youthful   imagination. 

Ampere's  smooth  face  made  him  look  extra  boyish. 

His  conversation  was  remarkable  and  his  book 
knowledge  was  in  great  contrast  with  his  absolute 
ignorance  of  worldly  affairs. 

He  had  a  delightful  way  of  talking  and  had  a  won- 
derful  smile   and   winning   manner. 

Juliette  responded  to  this  young  man's  desire  for 
her  friendship,  was  attracted  by  his  superior  soul, 
and   the  generous  enthusiasm  of  his  aspirations. 

Because  of  these  traits,  he  was  admitted  as  a  son 
and  brother  in  the  Recamier  household.  In  the  early 
part  of  181 1  Germaine  de  Stael  wrote  to  one  of  her 
friends  telling  them  how  unbearable  her  life  with- 
out them  was  proving  to  be. 

Finally  Mathieu  de  Montmorency  took  courage 
and  started  for  Coppet  to  pay  his  respects  to  his  lit- 
erary friend.  On  the  17th  of  August,  181 1,  he  re- 
ceived orders  from   the  chief  of  police   to  remain   at 


y6  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Geneva  and  not  to  re-enter  Paris.  He  was  allowed 
to  go  to  Coppet  or  in  any  direction  that  would  be 
forty  leagues  from   the  capital. 

In  spite  of  this  advice  and  warning  to  Mathieu, 
Juliette  went  to  Coppet.  She  saw  a  heroic  adven- 
ture in  the  trip,  and  went  without  telling  her  friends. 
She  arrived  a  few  days  after  Mathieu  received  his 
letter  of  exile.  Mathieu  hurried  after  her  to  warn 
her  of  her  danger. 

Juliette  stopped  and  rested  in  a  little  village. 

The  two  talked  it  all  over  and  decided  to  go  on  to 
Coppet. 

Juliette  felt  that  Mathieu  had  gone  into  exile  for 
her  sake.  She  hurried  on  to  assure  her  aunt  that  she 
was  all  right;  this  aunt  who  had  little  love  for  her. 

When  Mathieu  learned  that  he  had  been  exiled  by 
Napoleon  he  was  indignant  because  he  felt  that  a  cer- 
tain woman  of  the  world  had  caused  the  order  to  be 
given.  He  insisted  that  Juliette  return  to  France  at  once. 
But  she  found  on  returning  to  Paris  that  the  order 
of  exile  was  sent  to  Coppet,  but  having  arrived  some 
time  after  her  departure  from  Chalons  on  the  Marne. 

The  police  knew  that  she  had  left  Coppet  and  sent 
the  following  notice  to  her  husband: 

''Paris,  17th  September,  181 1. 
"I  beg  you  to  tell  me,  monsieur,  if  you  received  the 
order  which  I  sent  to  you  on  the  third  of  this  month? 
And  if  you  can  tell  me  the  whereabouts  of  Madame 
Recamier,  your  wife?  I  have  the  honor  of  greeting 
you.  The  Consul  of  State,  the  Prefect  of  Police  and 
Baron  of  the  Empire." 


Chapter  VIII  '  - 

Juliette  in  Rome 

'ULIETTE  Recamier  and  her  party  arrived 
at  Rome  during  passion  week.  We  must 
not  fancy  the  Rome  of  1812  to  have  been 
what  it  was  some  twenty  or  thirty  years 
later.  Rome  then,  had  no  Pope,  no  cardi- 
nals, and  it  was  not  the  capital  of  the  Catholics.  It 
was  the  head  of  the  Department  of  the  Tiber. 

The  French  troops  then  as  now  were  masters  of 
Rome. 

They  reached  Rome  shortly  before  Christmas. 
Madame  Recamier  took  rooms  near  the  Place 
d'Espagne  via  Bambino,  opposite  the  Greek  church. 

Her  niece  and  Ballanche  lived  with  her.  Jean  Jacques 
Ampere  spent  his  days  there  also.  He  lived  an  en- 
chanted lite  given  over  to  his  love  and  to  the  marvels 
of  the  town,  which  he  was  to  see  and  explore  so  thor- 
oughly. 

Ballanche  was  much  in  the  company  of  Juliette 
during  those  days.  His  soul  drank  in  the  beauty  of 
Rome  and  the  inspiration  which  she  gave  to  him. 
He  writes: 

"This  evening  seemed  like  a  happy  dream  to  me.  I 
am  delighted  with  it.  I  try  to  collect  my  ideas  and 
happiness  fills  my  soul  and  my  mind. 

"I  shall  not  see  you  whom  I  love  so  much,  as  there 
are  many  things  to  divide  us;  your  old  friends,  your 
new  friends  and  so  many  ties.  Oh,  if  we  were  only 
alone.      At   least    'mid   many   obstacles    I    get    a    few 

77 


78  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

moments,  a  few  hours  of  grief,  of  delight  and  of  de- 
licious sadness. 

"A  few  of  these  moments  shed  charm  and  regret 
on  my  life.  The  more  I  know  you  the  more  I  love 
you.  My  writings,  my  aims,  my  success,  my  troubles 
all  belong  to  you.  You  inspire  me,  you  console  me, 
you  raise  me.  I  shall  compose  my  poem  Juliette 
because  you  like  it,  because  it  will  be  delightful  to 
pronounce  your  name  in  my  verses  and  paint  under 
this  name  a  pure  soul  which  is  tender  and  generous; 
and  that  beauty  which  is  lost  in  your  eyes,  on  your 
face,  which  sweetens  your  voice,  which  makes  your 
smile  more  beautiful,  which  gives  all  charm  to  your 
manner. 

"You  have  asked  me  to  give  a  word  portrait  of 
you.     I  have  made  it  without  noticing  it." 

The  Countess  of  Boigne,  one  of  Juliette's  best 
friends,  after  hearing  that  she  had  been  served  a 
letter  of  cachet,  wrote  to  her:  "I  was  in  hope  that 
your  fears  were  not  well  founded,  as  you  are  the  most 
guiltless  person.  It  is  not  because  you  are  sweet, 
good  and  natural  in  finding  the  secret.  You  are  never 
indifferent  to  the  wants  of  others. 

"You  know  how  I  adore  your  character,  your  kind- 
ness, and  I  am  only  too  glad  to  speak  of  them.  It 
seems  strange  to  praise  the  goodness  of  the  sweetest 
woman  in  Europe.  I  am  persuaded  that  if  one  can 
define  that  influence,  you  exercise  more  than  others 
who  are  more  brilliant,  you  exercise  it  with  no  less 
power.    In  this  sad  position  you  will  find  many  friends." 

When  Germaine  heard  of  Juliette's  exile  she  wrote 
the   following  letter: 


The   Life   of   Juliette   Recamier  79 

"I  cannot  speak  to  you,  I  throw  myself  at  your 
feet.  In  the  name  of  Heaven  have  courage  for  your- 
self so  that  I  can  live.  Ah,  my  God,  I  cannot  think. 
Pull  yourself  out  of  this,  that  I  may  know  that  you 
are  happy,  that  your  splendid  generosity  may  not  be 
your  undoing. 

"But  I  adore  you.  Believe  it,  and  prove  it  to  me  in 
occupying  yourself  about  your  own  welfare,  because 
I  shall  have  no  rest  if  you  are  in  exile.  Good-bye — 
Good-bye,  when  shall  I  see  you  again?  Not  in  this 
world.      Germaine." 

Before  going  to  Rome,  Juliette  spent  some  time  in 
Lyons  visiting  friends  and  relatives.  While  she  was 
there,  helping  the  poor,  in  many  ways  helped  to  absorb 
her  time  and  thoughts. 

But  she  found  little  comfort,  for  many  of  the  peo- 
ple were  Imperialists,  grateful  to  Napoleon  for  hav- 
ing restored   the   city   from   ruins. 

After  a  short  stay  in  Lyons  she  took  her  niece  and 
a  maid  and  went  to  Rome.  She  lived  at  Serni's  place 
d'Espagne. 

But  at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks  she  took  a  palace 
called  the  Fiano,  and  opened  her  salon  to  the  French. 
Her  friend,  Camille  Jordan,  introduced  her  to  a  French 
writer,  a  brilliant  young  man  named  Ballanche.  He 
was  as  timid  as  he  was  clever.  A  story  is  told  that 
the  first  time  he  called  on  Juliette  with  his  friend 
Camille,  he  took  off  his  boots  and  left  them  before 
her  door  until  he  came  out. 

His  features  were  lively,  sometimes  little  expres- 
sive, but  his  smile  was  full  of  grace  and  kindness. 
Deep   as   well   as   clever   and   sometimes  original,   M. 


80  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Ballanche  was  a  type  of  honor  and  social  virtue.  He 
impressed  Juliette  very  much  from  the  beginning 
because  he  believed  in  his  own  ideas,  ideas  that  he 
had  created  for  himself  about  religion  and  concern- 
ing  poetry. 

It  was  only  to  her  and  to  Camille  Jordan  that  he 
spoke  with  frankness.  Otherwise  he  kept  his  opinions 
to  himself  because  they  satisfied  his  mind  and  heart. 

From  the  beginning  their  friendship  was  genuine 
and  sincere,  and  Ballanche  looked  upon  her  as  every- 
thing that  was  good  and  pure.  Juliette  held  the  same 
kindly  feeling  for  him.  She  accorded  him  great  con- 
fidence and  she  held  an  important  place  in  his  life. 

Before  she  knew  him  many  weeks  she  observed 
that  his  speech  was  eloquent  and  pure.  When  she 
complimented  him  he  received  the  praise  without 
pride  and  she  loved  to  take  his  advice.  Ballanche  was 
the  son  of  a  printer.  His  face  had  been  disfigured 
by  an  operation  though  it  was  by  no  means  ugly. 

His  eyes  were  very  bright,  large  and  intelligent. 

The  lower  part  of  his  face  was  swollen  on  one  side 
as  if  from  toothache.  His  appearance  was  simple, 
perhaps  a  little  uncouth,  but  there  was  a  most  re- 
markable benevolence  in  his  countenance  while  his 
voice  and  manner  gave  an  impression  of  being  thor- 
oughly pleasant   to  all  who  had  any  discrimination. 

He  never  asked  anything  in  return  for  his  intense 
devotion;  the  pleasure  of  looking  and  listening  was 
enough.  The  first  time  he  called  to  see  Juliette  she 
noticed  that  his  speech  was  slow,  but  all  his  ideas 
were  refined,  pure  and  noble  and  his  taste  was  ex- 
quisite. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  8i 

It  was  Juliette's  mind  and  her  spiritual  nature  that 
appealed  to  him.  He  was  ignorant  of  all  foreign  litera- 
ture except  Italian  and  French,  but  he  knew  these 
two  fluently.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  Juliette 
must  study  Italian  and  help  him  at  his  writings.  His 
friends  always  spoke  of  Juliette  as  his  Beatrice  since  by 
his  worship  of  her  they  recalled  Dante's  love  for  Beatrice. 

At  this  time  the  ceremonies  of  Passion  Week  were 
not  performed  in  the  Sistine  chapel,  but  in  the  chapel 
of  St.  Peter.  The  Pope  was  held  a  prisoner  at  Foun- 
tainbleau,  and  a  mournful  spirit  seemed  to  hover 
about  the  whole  city.  The  aversion  to  the  French 
domination  was  noticeable  in  all  ranks  of  society. 
The  only  house  where  French  people  assembled  was 
at    Madame    Recamier's. 

Ballanche  was  the  high-light  to  these  visitors  the 
short  time  he  was  there.  A  story  was  told  that  the 
night  he  arrived  Juliette  invited  a  small  party  of 
friends  to  see  the  coliseum. 

Noticing  that  Ballanche  was  bareheaded  she  en- 
treated him  to  put  on  his  hat.  He  laughed  and  ex- 
plained that  in  his  excitement,  created  by  his  pros- 
pective visit,  he  had  left  his  hat  behind. 

While  there  he  read  a  part  of  his  famous  poem, 
called  Antigone,  which  created  such  a  stir,  both  in 
Paris  and  in  Lyons.  Before  leaving  Rome  he  wrote 
the  beautiful  Fragment  which  was  later  inserted  in 
one  of  his  books.  Ballanche  would  have  spent  much 
more  time  in  Rome  but  his  father  insisted  on  his  re- 
turn to  Lyons.  He  explained  to  his  friends  that  his 
love  for  Juliette  was  of  the  purest  kind,  that  which 
a  brother  would  have  for  a  sister. 


82  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

He  knew  that  he  developed  in  her  presence  like  a 
withered  plant  which  is  favored  by  sunshine.  From 
that  time  on,  he  was  her  all  in  all,  and  never  asked 
one  favor  for  his  untiring  devotion. 

In  the  meantime  Constant  was  pouring  out  letter 
after  letter  full  of  love.  Juliette  inspired  him  to  these 
words  which  he  wrote  in  "Adolphe":      jj 

"Charm  of  love,  who  could  paint  you?  This  idea 
that  we  have  found,  the  being  which  nature  created 
for  us,  this  light  spread  on  our  lives,  which  seems  to 
explain   its   mystery. 

"This  foolish  gayety  mixed  with  unusual  sadness. 
This  forgetfulness  of  all  vulgar  things,  this  superiority 
of  all  things  above  us,  this  certainty  that  henceforth 
the  world  cannot  reach  us  where  we  live.  He  who 
knows  you  can  never  describe  you.  Good-bye,  Ben- 
jamin   Constant." 

In  1 8 14  when  the  King  of  Prussia  and  Emperor  of 
Austria  took  Paris  after  the  defeats  in  Russia,  peace 
and  moderation  seemed  to  be  everywhere.  The 
shops  were  opened,  Russian  soldiers  six  feet  tall  were 
driven  across  the  roadways  by  the  French. 

Going  back  to  Paris  Juliette  took  a  comfortable 
house  and  welcomed  her  new  friends  as  well  as  the 
old  ones  in  the  same  warm-hearted  manner  she  had 
when  she  dwelt  in  magnificence. 

Benjamin  Constant  continued  his  love  making  which 
she  received  with  more  indifference  than  ever. 

Speaking  of  Jean  Ampere,  Scherer  says:  "He  has 
been  all  kinds  of  things,  traveling  professor,  writer 
and  poet.  Few  men  have  traveled  so  much  and  ob- 
served  so   much.     We   have   seen   him   quite   young, 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  83 

visiting  Germany  and  the  north  of  Europe.  Italy 
attracted    him    later   on. 

"He  saw  Belgium,  Holland,  England,  Spain  and 
Greece  occupied  him  for  a  long  time.  But  Egypt 
and  the  United  States  and  Mexico  provided  him  with 
subjects   for  some  great  works. 

"As  a  scientific  man  Ampere  has  gone  through 
everything.  Languages,  literature  and  history.  He 
studied  Scandinavian  and  basque  hieroglyphics. 

"He  made  a  special  study  of  the  origin  of  the  lan- 
guage and  literature  of  France. 

"He  tried  to  make  out  the  history  of  Rome  from 
Romulus  to  Constantine.  He  wrote  dramas  and 
poetry." 

It  was  at  this  time  of  Juliette's  supremacy,  the 
moment  when  her  mind  and  beauty  of  face  were  at 
their  height,  that  Ballanche  brought  young  Ampere 
to   her   salon. 

For  a  while  he  followed  her  about  wherever  he  could 
and  poured  out  his  love  with  real  passion. 

Ampere  seems  to  have  had  two  tendencies  in  his 
youth.  One  of  pure  poetry  and  the  other  of  history. 
By  the  first  he  felt  himself  attracted  to  be  one  of  the 
poets  who  were  heard  as  with  a  new  lyre  about  the 
year  1819.  By  the  other  he  was  incited  to  be  one  of 
the  historians  who  in  the  ten  later  years  of  the  Restora- 
tion had  found  in  foreign  literature,  larger  views. 

Ampere  threw  himself  in  both  directions  with  all 
the  fire  of  youth.  He  was  one  of  the  first  men  in 
France  who  had  traveled  in  other  countries  with  the 
aim  of  study  under  all  zones.  He  went  to  Weimar  to 
talk   with   Goethe,    to   Scandinavia   and    to   Italy,    to 


84  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

meet  with  other  great  minds  and  to  inform  himself 
about  the  best. 

His  method  was  to  take  things  by  their  origin  and 
to  develop  them  in  all  their  branches. 

One  could  fancy  him  an  engineer,  drawing  a  map 
of  France.  From  the  beginning  his  writings  were 
full  of  his  pure  nature.  Hilda  was  the  title  of  his  Gaul- 
Germanic  novel.  He  drew  in  it  a  picture  of  pure 
Christian  marriage  where  the  husband  and  wife  were 
no  more  than  brother  and  sister;  where  the  blushing 
bride  was  still  a  virgin.  On  the  other  hand,  Juliette 
was  inspiring  Ballanche  to  his  best  writing.  He  wrote 
very  little  while  in  Paris  without  first  showing  it  to 
her.  Though  he  loved  Juliette  more  every  day  he 
only   asked   for  sympathy   and   friendship   in   return. 

One  of  his  most  brilliant  writings  was  "Essai  sur 
les  Institutions  Sociales  dans  leur  rapport  avec  les 
Ideas  Nouvelles."  Finally  his  family  called  him  back 
to  Lyons  in   181 5. 

On  leaving  he  told  Juliette:  "I  would  give  all 
I  have  in  the  world  for  twenty-four  more  hours  in 
Paris."  He  did  return  some  time  later  and  enjoyed 
all  the  privileges  of  Juliette's  salon. 

In  the  meantime  Madame  de  Stael  had  married 
M.  de  Rocca,  and  Juliette  hoped  they  would  spend  a 
great  deal  of  time  in  Paris.  But  Germaine's  husband's 
health  failed  and  she  took  her  daughter,  engaged  to 
the  Duke  de  Broglie,  and  accompanied  by  M.  Schlegel, 
they  went  to  Italy.  Later  she  returned  to  Coppet 
where   her   husband's   health   was   most  uncertain. 

The  one  joyous  note  in  her  life  was  the  marriage 
of  her  daughter.     As  she  says  in  the  following  letter: 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  85 

"Our  marriage,  dear  Juliette,  has  come  off  well.    After 

the  ceremony  no  emotion  in  life  can  be  compared  to 

this,  and  what  is  better,  to  the  impression  that  there 

is  not  one  moment  that  I  do  not  grow  more  attached 

to    M.    de    Broglie.      His   conduct   has    been    delicate 

and  he  is  very  true.     His  character  is  virtuous  and  I 

bless  God  and  my  father  for  having  given  me  a  friend 

for  my  daughter  who  is  as  worthy  of  esteem  and  feel- 

>> 
ing. 

Finally  she  returned  to  Paris  to  enjoy  her  friends 
and  Juliette's  salon,  but  her  strength  was  rapidly 
failing.  The  following  is  one  of  many  affectionate 
letters  that  Germaine  wrote  to  Juliette  during  those 
trying  days: 

"Tell  me,  dear  Juliette,  if  you  are  well  enough  to 
accept  my  carriage  at  nine  o'clock  and  come  and 
spend  a  few  hours  with  me.  I  am  not  strong  enough 
to  go  to  you.  If  you  come,  tell  Mathieu  that  I  am 
waiting  for  him  at  my  home.  I  kiss  you  with  all  my 
heart.     Germaine." 

Juliette  spent  much  of  her  time  with  her  friend, 
reading  and  offering  those  nice  little  attentions  one 
woman  can  bestow  on  another.  Juliette  read  to  her 
passages  from  L'Allemagne,  which  was  her  favorite. 
This  passage  was  especially  appropriate  at  this  time: 
"Poetry  is  of  all  arts  the  one  which  belongs  most  to 
reason.  However,  Poetry  neither  admits  analysis 
nor  explanation. 

"A  man  who  would  bring  forth  a  new  truth  would 
write  rather  in  a  language  which  exactly  and  pre- 
cisely expresses  thought.  He  would  rather  try  to 
convince    by    reason    than    through    the    imagination. 


86  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Poetry  has  been  more  often  consecrated  to  praise  than 
to  censure  despotic  powers. 

"Art  in  general  can  sometimes  contribute  by  its 
power  to  form  subjects  such  as  tyrants  wish.  Art 
can  give  letters  to  the  mind  by  everyday  pleasures. 
It  brings  man  to  the  sensations  and  they  inspire  the 
soul  with  a  philosophy  which  is  voluptuous,  with  a 
reasonable  carelessness,  a  love  of  the  present,  a  for- 
getfulness  of  love  favorable  to  tyranny. 

"Passions  alone  tie  one  strongly  to  life  by  the  ardent 
wish  of  waiting  the  day  of  their  fulfillment,  but  this 
life  consecrated  to  pleasure  amuses  without  capti- 
vating; it  prepares  an  intoxication  called  sleep  and 
death." 

Germaine  de  Stael's  health  continued  to  fail  rapidly. 

For  hours  and  hours  at  a  time  she  would  remain 
half-reclining  in  a  large  easy  chair.  About  the 
mouth  and  chin  the  oval  face  was  shrunken  to  half  its 
size.  The  one  time  lambent  eyes  were  quiet,  al- 
most glassy  in  their  repose.  The  expressionless  look 
was  in  keeping  with  the  purplish  color  of  the  full  lips. 

Her  cold  hand  was  resting  in  Juliette's  beautiful 
hand,  whose  questioning  eyes  were  on  her.  She  was 
there  to  satisfy  every  want  of  Germaine.  Juliette's 
head  was  bowed  in  silent  prayer  and  even  her  dying 
friend  would  not  have  been  conscious  of  her  fervor 
at  this  moment  had  she  not  dropped  some  tears  on 
Germaine's   cold   hand. 

"Don't  weep,  my  dear  Juliette,"  said  Germaine  in  a 
weak  anxious  voice.  "I  am  not  suffering,  I  am  happy. 
See  the  sun  pouring  in  the  room;  it  tells  you  how 
sweet   and  calm   I   feel." 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  87 

She  rested  her  tired  head  against  the  chair  and 
there  was  no  sign  of  the  struggle  going  on  as  life 
flickered  out,  like  a  candle  blown  by  a  strong  wind. 
Her  full  eyes  opened  wide  and  steadied  themselves  as 
they  looked  on  Juliette's  sad  face. 

"Take  my  head  in  your  warm  arms.  I  feel  cold," 
she  said. 

Fright  played  over  Juliette's  features.  Drawing  a 
shawl  from  her  own  shoulders  she  placed  it  about 
Germaine.  Brushing  the  dark  disheveled  hair  from 
her  high  brow,  she  held  her  head  in  her  arms  with  the 
loving  care  a  mother  bestows  on  a  sick  child. 

"Rest,  Germaine,  you  are  weary,"  she  said. 

"I  shall  soon  be  taking  the  rest  which  is  given  to 
our  poor  tired  souls  when  they  are  weary  with  the 
struggles  of  life,"  replied  the  sick  woman.  A  smile 
played  about  her  wan  mouth. 

"Forgive  me,  dear,  for  any  trouble  I  have  caused 
you.  I  did  not  mean — "  her  lips  continued  to  move 
but  the  words  were  lost  to  Juliette's  straining  ear. 

Nothing  disturbed  the  silence  of  the  sick  room. 

A  bronze  clock  was  ticking  off  the  time  musically, 
on  a  mantel.  But  its  soft  regular  beat  sounded  like 
a  continued  discord  on  Juliette's   tired   brain. 

'You  will  not  have  to  watch  with  me  much  longer, 
dear  Julie,"  came  the  faint  words.  "The  lovely  day- 
light is  becoming  less  and  less." 

She  quieted  for  some  minutes  and  then  spoke  again: 

"Kiss  me,  my  dear;  your  pure  kiss  helps  my  tired  soul." 

Juliette's  feverish  lips  rested  long  and  lovingly  on 
the  lips  and  the  white  damp  cheeks.  She  was  strug- 
gling to  give  a  little  of  her  own  life  to  her  dying  friend. 


88  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

"Are  we  alone?"  came  the  frightened  voice  of  Ger- 
maine.  "I  thought  I  heard — a  sound — from  the 
further — " 

"Rene  is  here  with  you  today,"  came  the  quiet 
answer. 

"He  has  been  here  some  time." 

"I  want  to  see  him.     Tell  him  to  come  near  me." 

Rene's  large  heavy  figure  moved  slowly  across  the 
room  fearing  to  break  this  awful  silence. 

His  face  was  twitching,  his  dark  eyes  blazed.  He 
stood  before  her,  took  her  slim  hand  and  smothered 
it  with  kisses. 

"Is  it  not  good  of  God  to  send  me  to  Heaven,  with 
two  dear  friends  praying  for  me?  Juliette — Rene — " 
she  gasped  and  her  voice  trailed  away  into  nothingness. 

Thus  passed  out  the  famous  Madame  de  Stael,  who 
had  been  so  vital  a  force.  Passed  out  while  two  dear 
friends  knelt  beside  her  and  prayed  for  her  soul's 
salvation. 

Juliette  loved  Germaine,  not  so  much  for  her  bril- 
liant mind  as  for  her  good  impulses. 

She,  more  than  other  friends,  knew  that  Germaine 
held  that  the  supreme  law  of  life  is  justice.  She 
opposed  Napoleon  because  she  held  that  he  wished 
to  establish  a  despotism  formed  on  immorality. 

While  this  was  going  on  she  had  the  courage  to 
proclaim  the  principles  of  liberty  and  of  dignity,  with- 
out which  the  human  species  can  only  be  a  horde  of 
barbarians   or  a  troupe  of  slaves. 

Her  glory  was  her  belief  in  an  ideal  and  she  made 
he  self  a  priestess,  willing  to  protect  it  at  any  cost, 
even    exile. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  89 

Later  at  St.  Helena,  Napoleon  appreciated  this 
fact,  for  he  said  of  the  famous  woman,  "Madame 
de  Stael  is  a  woman  with  a  great  talent  and  a  big 
mind. 

Germaine  saw  Napoleon's  downfall  before  it  came. 

Later   on    she    wrote    to    Louis    XVIII: 

"Everything  will  conform  to  your  demands,  sire.  It 
is  for  you  to  command.  In  your  name  I  hope  you 
will  always  reign." 

In  him  she  saw  the  generosity,  the  magnanimity, 
humanity  and  the  justice  and  dignity  of  posterity. 

She  could  hardly  wait  for  the  coming  of  Waterloo 
with  the  appearance  of  the  new  king. 

Napoleon  realized  when  it  was  too  late  that  he 
could  have  made  this  wonderful  woman  an  asset  to 
his  cause. 

She  would  have  worked  for  him,  written  for  him 
and  perhaps  adored  him  had  he  used  any  tact  and 
shown  a  bit  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness. 

It  was  in  1815,  after  Germaine  de  Stael's  death, 
when  Ballanche  came  to  live  with  Juliette,  that 
Chateaubriand,  then  in  all  the  fever  of  his  ambition 
and  glory  of  power  and  love,  began  to  play  an  important 
part  in   her  life. 

He  had  met  her  some  twelve  years  before  this 
time. 


Chapter  IX 

Reunion  of  Juliette  and  Chateaubriand 

BOUT  this  time  Chateaubriand  who  was 
in  Rome  came  to  some  of  Juliette's  salons. 
He  had  only  seen  her  once  at  the  home  of 
Germaine  de  Stael.  But  the  impression  she 
had  made  on  him  was  enough  for  him 
to  want  to  see  her  again.  The  way  she  looked  to  him 
is  best  depicted  from  a  "Biographie  de  Madame 
Recamier"  transcribed  in  an  unpublished  sketch  of 
Juliette  by  Chateaubriand  (who  called  her  Leonie) 
and  printed  in  Herriot's  "Madame  Recamier."  He 
wrote,  "Leonie  is  tall,  her  figure  is  charming.  Leonie 
is  beautiful.  What  makes  her  face  so  rarely  beautiful 
is  the  oval  line  which  one  sees  in  Raphael's  women 
alone.  It  expresses  the  sweetness,  the  delicacy  and 
the  kindness.  The  soul  and  the  character  of  Leonie 
are  noticeable  for  the  same  qualities  of  beauty.  But 
the  special  feature  about  her  personality  is  a  piquant 
spirit  and  a  romantic  imagination,  in  contrast  with 
her  natural  tranquil  manner.  At  times  her  words  are 
impassioned,  while  her  face  is  timid  and  naive.  One 
finds  there  a  mixture  of  the  virgin  and  the  muse. 
One  falls  with  love  at  her  feet,  and  she  holds  you 
there,  filled  with  respect." 

Chateaubriand  was  about  middle  height,  a  little 
bent.  His  face  was  pallid,  and  sickly  looking.  The 
blue  eyes  were  often  cold  and  half  closed  when  he  was 
resting  but  shone  brightly  when  he  was  animated. 
This   was    in    keeping   with    his   large   nose,    and    the 

91 


92  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

nostrils  gave  the  expression  of  sensibility  and  of  energy. 
His  voice  was  flexible;  it  was  modulated  according  to 
the  feelings  of  his  soul. 

His  talent  was  written  in  his  features.  A  smile  of 
malice  often  played  about  his  full  lips,  and  his  expres- 
sion alternated  between  enthusiasm,  impatience  and 
disgust.    At  times  his  smile  was  irresistible. 

To  understand  the  big  part  he  played  in  the  life  of 
Juliette  Recamier  later  one  must  know  much  about 
Chateaubriand  and  his  career. 

Francois  Rene  was  born  in  a  Breton  chateau,  and 
was  brought  up  by  a  stolid  father,  who  was  cold  and 
uninteresting.  Reared  in  the  midst  of  these  harsh 
surroundings,  he  found  his  chief  comfort  in  life  in  the 
company  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  of  whom  he  had 
many.  He  was  especially  attached  to  his  fourth  sister, 
Lucile,  who  was  delicate  and  a  dreamer.  She  fur- 
nished her  youngest  brother  real  companionship.  His 
childhood  was  spent  playing  along  the  seashore. 

He  finished  his  elementary  studies  first  at  the 
college  of  Dol,  and  then  at  Rennes.  While  finishing 
his  studies  he  showed  special  aptitude  for  Latin  and 
French  literature  and  later  for  mathematics.  At  Brest 
he  took  the  examination  for  Marine  guard,  though 
his  mother  hoped  he  would  devote  his  life  to  the 
ministry. 

After  the  marriage  of  his  two  sisters  to  men  of 
some  distinction,  he  left  for  Brest.  There  he  spent  an 
unhappy  and  lonely  life.  Later  he  returned  to  his 
parents'  home  at  Combourg. 

Chateaubriand's  taste  for  literature  was  as  marked 
as    was    his    melancholy    disposition.      His    soul    was 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  93 

burning  for  adventure  and  romance  and  he  found  little 
of  this  in  his  own  home,  so  he  spent  much  time  in  the 
forest  and  along  the  shore,  filling  his  soul  with  the 
romance  it  longed  for  most.  If  his  parents  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters  had  little  appreciation  for  his 
genius,  his  sister  Lucile  felt  that  he  had  a  future  and 
she  listened  to  all  he  told  her.  Lucile  adored  her 
brother,  and  she  told  him  time  and  again  that  he  had 
great  genius,  and  a  bright  future. 

But  his  daydreaming  was  broken  by  a  call  to  mili- 
tary service,  where  he  was  to  train  for  a  position  as 
army  officer.  His  father  broke  the  news  to  him  in  the 
following  words:  "My  young  cavalier,  you  must  give 
up  all  this  nonsense.  Your  brother  has  obtained  a 
position  for  you,  a  commission  as  second  under- 
lieutenant  for  a  regiment  at  Navarre.  I  am  old  and 
sick.  Here  are  a  hundred  louis:  use  them  to  best 
advantage.  I  shall  not  live  a  long  time.  Conduct 
yourself  as  a  man  should  and  never  dishonor  the 
family  name." 

He  embraced  his  son,  kissed  him  time  and  again, 
his  tears  wetting  the  cheeks  of  the  young  man.  Be- 
fore Francois  Rene  left,  his  father  gave  him  the  family 
sword  which  had  been  used  in  a  number  of  important 
engagements. 

In  1787  his  oldest  brother  married  the  daughter  of 
M.  de  Malesherbes,  a  scholarly  man,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  writer  la  Harpe,  the  poet  le 
Brune,  and  with  many  other  literarv  men  of  the  time. 
This  man  of  culture  realized  that  young  Chateau- 
briand was  a  youth  of  promise  and  did  much  to  en- 
courage him  to  continue  his  studies  and  to  write. 


94  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

He  spent  1787-89  in  Paris  writing  both  prose 
and  verse.  Then  he  spent  some  time  with  his  sister 
Lucile,  who  was  failing  in  health  in  Brittany.  The 
thing  that  stirred  him  most  was  the  taking  of  the 
Bastile,  for  he  was  one  of  the  witnesses  of  this  per- 
formance. The  irony  and  passion  of  this  act  stirred 
in  him  great  passion  for  liberty,  and  he  saw  that  the 
revolution  was  going  to  break. 

H  He  was  eager  to  see  America  for  he  had  been  in 
sympathy  with  the  American  revolution  and  Male- 
sherbes  encouraged  him  to  make  a  long  visit  to  Amer- 
ica, seeing  all  the  principal  places  from  Behring  Straits 
to  Canada.  He  embarked  at  Saint  Malo  and  obtained 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  General  Washington.  He 
was  granted  an  interview  and  General  Washington 
invited  him  to  take  dinner  with  him.  In  1822,  writing 
of  this  incident,  Chateaubriand  says:  "I  am  pleased  that 
his  gaze  fell  on  me.  I  shall  feel  warmed  by  it  all  my  life. 
There  is  a  virtue  in  enjoying  the  glance  of  a  great  man." 

Realizing  that  this  visit  would  only  give  him  a  peep 
into  American  life,  he  saw  many  of  the  big  cities,  and 
was  impressed  by  the  newness  of  the  life  and  of  the 
art,  especially  that  done  by  the  Indians.  He  finished 
with  the  Yankee  and  the  Canadian  in  eight  months' 
time,  though  in  his  book  called  Natchez  he  gives 
the  impression  that  he  had  spent  a  lifetime  with  the 
American  aborigine.  His  favorite  sister  Lucile  was  to 
be  married  and  he  hurried  home.  But  the  inspiration 
of  this  visit  was  his  romance  called  Natchez  and  Atala. 
Then  he  went  to  England,  but  he  found  little  pleasure 
and  interest  in  his  visit.  At  this  time  his  essay  on  the 
revolution  came  from  his  pen. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  95 

While  staying  at  his  mother's  home  he  met  Mile. 
Celeste  Buisson  de  la  Vigne,  an  orphan  of  seventeen, 
who  lived  with  her  grandfather,  chevalier  de  Saint 
Louis,  ancient  commander  of  the  sea  at  Lorient, 
retired  to  Saint  Malo.  Francois  Rene  was  drawn  to 
her  because  she  was  fair,  slight  and  unusually  attrac- 
tive. He  noticed  her  light  curls  that  tumbled  grace- 
fully over  her  forehead.  She  was  full  of  life,  capricious, 
fantastic  and  a  bit  spoiled.  Her  grandfather  loved  her 
devotedly  and  left  her  a  fortune  of  about  $100,000  and 
this  money  made  her  feel  that  she  could  do  much  as 
she  pleased. 

This  pretty,  adventuresome  young  girl  attracted 
him,  and  they  became  engaged.  After  a  romantic 
courtship  they  were  married  in  1792. 

Much  as  he  admired  his  attractive  young  wife,  it 
was  a  foregone  conclusion  she  alone  could  never  hold 
his  interest.  „  Among  the  first  women  to  be  welcomed 
to  his  salon  were  Germaine  de  Stael,  Madame  de 
Krudener,  Mine,  de  Pastoret,  the  friend  of  Andre 
Chenier,  Mme.  de  Beaumont,  the  friend  of  the  moral- 
ist Joubert.  The  first  one  he  attacked  in  open  debate 
was  his  friend  Germaine  de  Stael.  He  entered  into 
the  discussion  with  great  fervor.  She  answered  him  by 
publishing  his  name  as  one  of  the  emigres.  He  re- 
cognized his  debt  of  gratitude  to  his  generous  enemy 
in  a  complimentary  passage  of  Atala  and  Mercury. 
His  Atala  met  with  such  immediate  success  that  M. 
de  Fontaines  introduced  him  first  to  Napoleon's  sisters 
and  then  to  the  consul.  Even  more  successful  was 
his  Genius  of  Christianity.  He  was  at  the  coronation 
of  Napoleon,  at  Notre  Dame,  and  gave  his  mark  of 


96  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

approval  by  articles  published  in  the  Moniteur  and 
Mercure.  His  first  romantic  venture  was  with  Mme. 
de  Custine,  a  woman  of  wealth  and  charm.  She 
opened  her  chateau  in  1802,  and  there  he  spent  much 
time  enjoying  her  society.  She  took  such  an  interest 
in  this  brilliant  writer  that  his  wife  finally  insisted  on 
her  husband  returning  to  Brittany  and  paying  her  a  visit. 

Napoleon  took  a  great  interest  in  this  brilliant 
writer  who  flattered  his  vanity,  and  in  1803  he  ap- 
pointed him  as  secretary  to  the  embassy  at  Rome. 
While  performing  his  duties  there  he  traveled  with 
Mme.  de  Beaumont  and  her  friend  M.  Louis  Bertin, 
who  had  been  exiled  by  Napoleon.  Chateaubriand 
went  to  Florence  and  brought  them  to  Rome.  This 
awakened  unpleasant  feeling,  and  he  left  Rome  on 
the  2 1  st  of  January,  1804,  to  occupy  the  post  created 
for  him,  as  minister  of  France  in  the  Valais.  Just  as 
he  was  ready  to  accept  the  post  he  learned  that  the 
Emperor  had  ordered  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Eng- 
hien.  Indignant  at  this  performance,  he  told  the 
emperor  he  did  not  want  the  position.  In  spite  of  the 
unpleasant  feeling  he  knew  that  it  would  create,  he 
was  willing  to  return  to  private  life.  He  bought  a 
home  at  Vallee-aux-Loups  in  1807  and  there  did  much 
of  his  best  writing.  His  wife  was  aware  that  he  was 
gradually  turning  away  from  Napoleon  and  the  Imperial- 
ist party.  She  admired  Napoleon  as  he  knew  and  did 
not  want  her  husband  to  become  disloyal  to  the  party 
in  power. 

It  was  in  the  Vallee-aux-Loups  that  Chateaubriand 
wrote  his  famous  books  the  Martyrs,  l'ltineraire,  and 
le  Dernier  des  Abencerages.     His  work  on  the  Mar- 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  97 

tyrs  created  much  hostile  debate,  lead  by  Mr.  Hoff- 
mann in  the  Journal  des  Debats.  In  181 1  he  offered 
himself  as  an  associate  of  the  French  Institute  to  take 
the  place  of  Chenier.  But  he  had  displeased  Napoleon 
who  saw  to  it  that  Chateaubriand  was  honored, 
saying  we  take  the  man  and  not  his  book.  It  was  in 
the  winter  of  18 13-18 14  that  Chateaubriand  took  an 
apartment  in  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  His  place  was  op- 
posite the  gardens  of  the  Tuilleries  where  the  Duke  of 
Enghien  was  shot.  Chateaubriand  heard  his  cries  and 
from  that  time  on  he  turned  against  Napoleon.  This 
was  evident  in  his  article  on  Bonaparte  and  theBourbons. 

About  this  time  his  cousin  was  shot  as  a  traitor  in 
the  fields  at  Grenelle.  Rene  tried  to  intercede  for 
him,  but  with  no  results.  This  tragic  end  only  in- 
creased his  dislike  for  Napoleon. 

It  was  at  the  death  bed  of  Germaine  de  Stael  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1817,  that  he  met  Juliette  Recamier 
a  second  time.  He  came  to  her  salon  but  it  was  not 
until  1819,  that  Chateaubriand  commenced  his  friend- 
ship with  Juliette  that  lasted  until  his  death. 

During  her  days  in  Rome  her  great  friendship  was 
with  Canova,  the  great  sculptor.  For  a  time  she  lived 
in  his  home:  it  was  like  Aspasia  living  in  the  home  of 
Phidias.  Determined  to  immortalize  her  beauty  in 
marble,  he  allowed  her  a  corner  of  his  studio  where 
she  modeled  in  clay.  He  made  two  busts  of  her,  but 
she  found  them  unsatisfactory  and  he  tried  to  change 
them  later.  Most  of  their  time  was  spent  at  his  country 
homes  in  Tivoli  and  at  Albano,  where  his  brother 
wrote  her  a  sonnet  daily. 

But   In    Rome   she   had   another   ardent   lover,    the 


98  The  Life  of  Juliette  Recamier 

Prince  of  Rohan,  and  he  spent  much  time  flattering 
her  eyes  and  ears.  This  Prince  Leon  was  sent  to  Rome 
by  Queen  Caroline  to  ask  Juliette  to  come  and  con- 
sole her  in  her  troubles  at  Naples.  It  was  at  a  time 
when  Napoleon's  power  was  on  the  wane.  Murat 
did  not  wish  to  go  down  with  him;  his  wife,  Queen 
Caroline,  encouraged  her  husband  in  his  method.  The 
Queen  and  the  King  at  Naples  flattered  Juliette  when 
she  came  to  Naples  showing  they  wished  her  aid  and 
counsel.  They  had  signed  already  the  secret  coali- 
tion against  Napoleon.  When  he  confessed  this  much 
to  her,  she  said,  "You  are  French,  sire,  you  must  be 
faithful  to  France."  Murat  opening  a  window  and 
showing  her  the  English  fleet  coming  into  the  harbor 
answered:  "Then  I  am  a  traitor,"  threw  himself  onto 
a  sofa  and  burst  into  tears. 

While  in  Rome,  then  and  later,  Juliette  Recamier 
and  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire  became  fast  friends. 
High  society  in  Rome,  when  they  saw  these  two 
women  driving  together  on  the  Corso  or  chatting  in 
one  or  another's  salon  used  to  say  it  was  difficult  to 
decide  which  of  the  two  was  the  more  beautiful. 

Juliette  was  fond  of  the  lovely  duchess  because  of 
the  sweetness  of  her  manner  and  genuine  sympathy. 
The  duchess  had  been  most  attractive  when  a  young 
girl  and  she  still  had  marked  traces  of  it.  In  spite  of 
her  slenderness  which  gave  to  her  person  the  look  of 
an  apparition  she  had  preserved  the  traces  of  a  delicate 
and  noble  regularity.  Her  eyes  were  noticeable  for 
their  fire.  Her  body  was  straight  and  light  and  she 
walked  like  an  empress,  and  her  white  complexion 
finished  the  harmonious  whole. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  99 

Her  beautiful  arms  and  hands  had  the  whiteness  of 
ivory,  and  she  covered  them  with  bracelets  and  rings. 
The  grace  and  distinction  of  her  manners  cannot  be 
surpassed.  Her  youth  had  not  been  without  trouble 
and  the  agitation  of  her  life  had  left  on  her  appearance 
a  trace  of  melancholy  and  something  tender. 

These  two  women,  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire  and 
Juliette  Recamier,  veiled  carefully,  drove  to  Rome  at 
the  fall  of  a  certain  day.  They  went  through  the 
crowd  which  was  before  the  doors  of  the  Palace  Farnese, 
and  went  into  the  room  where  on  the  catafalque  the 
owner  of  the  palace  lay  in  state.  The  Duchess  of 
Devonshire  in  the  presence  of  Juliette  Recamier  saw 
again  in  the  stillness  of  holy  death,  the  face  which 
she  had  seen  every  day  for  twenty  years  animated 
with  all  the  beauty  and  grace  which  was  the  charac- 
ter of  the  cardinal  minister.  What  went  on  in  her 
soul  nobody  except  Juliette  Recamier  knew;  she 
tainted  in  her  friend's  arms  and  was  taken  back  to 
the  palace. 

Chateaubriand  made  an  explosion  in  the  political 
world  about  18 14,  by  his  famous  pamphlet  of  Bona- 
parte and  the  Bourbons.  He  entered  into  his  new 
career,  sword  in  hand  as  a  conquering  power  and  in 
the  first  day  he  embraced  the  Restoration  with  all 
the  strength  against  the  one  that  failed. 

This  political  career  from  18 14  can  be  divided  into 
two  parts,  from  the  first  Somars  18 14  until  the  6th 
of  June  1824,  the  time  of  the  pure  Royalists.  The 
second  period  from  the  6th  of  June,  1824,  the  day  of 
the  re-entry  of  the  Ministry  until  the  downfall  of  the 
Restoration,  the  liberal  period  in  open  contradiction 


ioo  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

with  the  first  period,  the  period  of  the  Royalists  and 
of  the  Republicans  after  July,  1830. 

He  wrote  the  following  pamphlet  on  the  Emperor. 
"Napoleon  did  more  to  corrupt  men  and  brought  more 
misery  into  the  world  in  the  short  period  of  ten  years 
than  all  the  tyrants  of  Rome  together,  from  the  time 
of  Nero  to  the  last  cruel  persecution.  There  was  a 
similar  period  in  France  when  brigands  and  thieves 
reigned. 

"He  was  less  abusive  in  18 14  and  he  wished  to  ap- 
pear less  vindictive.  He  still  hoped  for  much,  he 
hoped  for  everything  and  spoke  for  Louis  XVIII  in 
consequence." 

The  spirit  of  party  was  no  longer  Juliette  Recamier's. 
She  had  enough  repose  to  welcome  into  her  home  all 
social  classes,  and  apparently  seemed  to  forget  that 
Napoleon  had  sent  her  into  exile. 

Chateaubriand  told  her  then  and  many  times  later 
that  she  had  the  power  to  dispel  the  gloom  of  most 
people.  That  sorrow  which  he  had  inherited  from  his 
mother  seemed  to  fade  away  in  her  presence.  Though 
she  wrote  but  little  she  expressed  herself  with  great 
charm.  In  talking  she  also  had  a  power  of  express- 
ing herself  with  ease.  She  showed  preference  for  a 
fine  turn  of  phrase,  knew  how  to  handle  difficult 
situations  and  often  came  to  the  assistance  of  friends. 

While  Juliette  was  reigning  as  a  queen,  she  was 
being  annoyed  by  Constant's  bon  mots  to  which  she 
gave  a  cold  ear,  Ballanche  whose  pure  words  received 
exquisite  attention,  and  Ampere  who  wrote  her  won- 
derful love  letters  when  he  or  she  was  away  from 
Paris.    Chateaubriand  was  the  only  one  who  objected, 


The  Life  of  Juliette   RECAiMiER  101 

for  he  was  jealous  of  Juliette's  time  and  attention, 
besides  he  and  Ampere  disagreed  on  political  opin- 
ions. But  in  spite  of  this  feeling,  Ampere  made  it  a 
point  to  spend  much  time  with  Juliette  when  he  was 
in  Paris,  and  wrote  her  beautiful  love  letters  when 
they  were  separated.  The  following  are  a  few  of  the 
impassioned  letters  penned  by  him  during  the  years 
1820  and    1826: 

"Paris,  June  7th,  1822. 

"This  evening  is  like  a  happy  dream  to  me.  I  am 
quite  intoxicated  with  it.  I  try  to  gather  my  ideas — 
I  cannot.  Happiness  which  fills  my  soul  makes  me 
feel  aroused  by  passion.  I  do  not  feel  as  though  I 
were  to  depart  tomorrow,  the  day  after  tomorrow, 
during  a  whole  week  I  will  not  see  the  little  room  so 
perfumed,  I  will  not  see  you  whom  I  love  so  much! 
Why  are  there  so  many  things  between  us,  your 
friends  of  the  past,  those  of  the  present  and  so  many 
ties?  Oh,  if  we  were  but  alone!  At  least  in  the  mid- 
dle of  so  many  obstacles  there  are  a  few  hours  of 
passion  given  to  me,  hours  of  delight  and  of  delicious 
sadness,  a  few  hours  of  those  moments  which  throw 
charm  and  regret  on  the  whole  of  life.  The  more  I 
love  you,  the  more  I  feel  that  I  must  love  you. 

"My  work,  my  ideal,  my  sadness  all  belong  to  you, 
because  it  will  be  delightful  to  pronounce  your  name 
in  my  verses,  to  paint  under  this  name  a  pure  soul, 
tender  and  kind,  and  that  beauty  which  is  in  your 
look,  in  your  features,  which  makes  your  voice  as 
tender,  which  makes  your  smile  so  lovely,  which  gives 
to  all  your  movements,  to  your  arms  and  to  your  whole 
person  that  charm  which  only  belongs  to  you.     You 


io-2  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

have  asked  me  to  paint  your  picture.  I  have  made 
it  without  knowing  it,  in  my  mind.  I  left  you  this 
evening,  I  could  have  stayed  longer.  Oh,  think  of 
me,  pity  me  and  come  back  on  Saturday;  be  pitiful 
and  be  kind.     J.  J.  Ampere." 

Paris,  January  9,  1825. 

"Forgive  me  what  I  wrote  yesterday.  Will  you  not 
also  know  my  bad  thoughts?  It  is  for  you  to  take  my 
defense.  But  will  you  abandon  me  when  you  are  more 
necessary  to  me  than  ever,  when  you  alone  can  help  me? 

"Never  has  my  imagination  brought  forth  more  lively 
dreams,  and  wished  so  much  for  a  little  happiness. 
My  whole  soul,  which  cannot  conceive  any  other 
thing,  is  concentrated  on  this  deep  wish,  love  and  to  be 
loved,  if  it  were  but  for  one  day.  It  is  you  who  by 
slow  degrees  have  developed  this  feeling,  which  has 
taken  root  in  me.  At  the  same  time,  your  image  is 
too  much  in  my  heart  to  allow  it  to  fix  itself  elsewhere. 
You  have  done  me  great  wrong.  You  have  given  me 
the  need  and  you  have  spoiled  me.  Give  me  at  least 
all    your   friendship.     J.  J.  Ampere." 

He  had  studied  and  thought  much  in  his  retreat  at 
Vallee  auxLoups  near  Paris,  and  in  1 809  "The  Martyrs," 
the  most  finished  of  his  works,  had  appeared.  He  said 
of  this  book  it  was  the  one  which  he  spent  most  time 
writing  and  correcting.  It  had  given  him  the 
biggest  reputation  because  of  the  style  and  for  its 
wisdom  of  thought.  It  was  in  this  small  retreat  that 
he  had  written  "l'ltineraire  le  Dernier  des  Abencer- 
ages,"  and  had  commenced  his  great  Memoires. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  103 

This  simple  home  was  attractive  because  of  its  situ- 
ation and  for  a  small  stream  amid  beautiful  valleys, 
a  little  shade  and  its  forests. 

It  was  in  181 5,  after  Germaine's  death,  when  Bal- 
lanche  came  to  stay  with  Juliette  for  a  while  that 
Chateaubriand  had  offered  this  place  for  sale  in  a  lottery. 
France  had  not  taken  three  tickets  and  Mathieu  de 
Montmorency,  although  he  was  not  rich,  had  bought 
the  little  place.  It  had  only  a  poetical  value  for  the 
trace  which  a  man  of  genius  leaves  in  the  place  he 
lived  in  so  long.  Though  it  was  only  a  simple  cottage, 
Juliette  was  glad  to  rent  it  from  Mathieu  de  Mont- 
morency. When  Germaine  de  Stael  returned  from 
exile,  she  visited  Germaine  at  the  Yallee  aux  Loups. 
Mathieu  de  Montmorency  and  his  lovely  daughter, 
the  Duchess  of  Doudeauville  considered  it  a  treat  to 
spend  a  few  days  at  a  time  in  the  company  of  Juliette. 

Speaking  of  this  incident,  the  daughter  of  Germaine 
de  Stael,  then  the  Duchess  of  Broglie,  spoke  innocently 
of  the  life  in  one  of  her  letters  to  her  mother's  best 
friend,  "I  can  see  your  little  home  at  the  Vallee  aux 
Loups,  as  the  nicest  in  the  world,  but  when  Mathieu's 
biograph  of  life  of  Saints  will  be  written  you  must 
agree  that  this  tete-a-tete  with  the  most  beautiful 
woman   of  her   time   will    make   a   curious   chapter." 

But  all  is  pure  for  the  pure  says  St.  Paul  and  he  is 
right;  the  world  is  just,  in  finally  judging  pure  souls. 
For  as  Portmartin  says  in  his  Causeries  Literaires 
"Juliette  Recamier  personified  with  incomparable  grace, 
reconciliation  and  alliance  between  diverse  elements 
of  a  society  dispersed  by  storms  and  rebuilt  with  ruins. 
Being   a   bourgeoise   by   birth   and   marriage  she  saw 


104  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

dukes,  princes  and  kings  at  her  feet.  The  Mont- 
morencies  and  the  Lamoignons,  the  descendants  of 
these  great  families  of  knights  who  were  going  to 
inflict  punishment  by  death  on  the  century  for  equality, 
were  devoted  to  her. 

Royalist  by  feeling  and  in  her  heart,  she  was  faith- 
ful in  all  adversities.  She  helped  the  shipwrecked  of 
all  regimes  and  was  a  tie  between  the  conquered  of 
yesterday  and  those  of  the  morrow.  Placed  at  the 
meeting  point  and  under  the  blow  of  two  centuries  of 
two  societies  and  two  worlds,  she  created  to  herself 
by  the  right  of  beauty  and  kindness  a  kingdom  where 
the  blows  were  made  less  cruel,  where  the  wounds 
closed,  where  temper  was  always  equal,  where  the 
sons  of  the  Revolution  refreshed  themselves  and  where 
men  of  the  times  became  young  again." 

One  can  fancy  Juliette  Recamier,  still  dressed  in  one 
of  those  white  gowns  which  suited  her  so  well,  walking 
in  the  midst  of  lovely  scenery,  perhaps  alone  or  better 
still,  in  company  with  brilliant  men  and  attractive 
women,  those  whom  she  had  charmed,  wounded, 
calmed  and  healed. 

Evening  approaches,  she  is  far  away  from  Paris, 
in  Rome  or  Naples,  she  is  walking  out  in  the  Cam- 
pagna,  near  the  edge  of  the  road.  She  passes  a  small 
plastered  cottage,  and  at  the  threshold  stands  an 
attractive,  dark  Italian  mother  holding  her  bambino 
wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  in  her  arms.  A  black 
eyed  rosy  cheeked  girl  and  a  dark,  curly  headed  boy 
are  playing  in  front  of  the  home.  A  tired,  soiled 
middle-aged  man  comes  shambling  back  from  the 
field,  the  children  fly  into  his  arms,  and  he  hastens 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  105 

along  to  kiss  the  wife  who  is  waiting  for  him. 
Juliette  Recamier  sees  the  meeting  of  this  happy 
family  and  tears  of  joy,  mixed  with  regret,  trickle 
down  her  face.  She  knows  that  this  is  the  only  life, 
happiness  and  duty,  the  immortal  law  of  life  and  the 
rest  is  only  a  passing  shadow. 

She  had  this  feeling  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  she 
was  at  her  zenith  of  power  and  beauty  now;  it  con- 
tinued to  be  the  last  word  of  French  elegance  to  be 
invited  to  her  salon  to  a  reading  given  by  Constant, 
Ballanche,  Ampere  and  Chateaubriand.  Usually  the 
readings  were  so  crowded  that  the  chairs  were  ar- 
ranged in  circles,  the  women  were  seated  and  the 
men  stood  in  back  of  them.  Juliette  usually  sat  in 
the  center  of  the  group.  Discussing  her  popularity 
at  that  time,  Gaudot  says,  "She  attracted  without 
any  effort,  she  talked  little,  and  her  movements  were 
slow  and  natural.  Her  eyes  were  lowered  usually, 
and  in  raising  them  they  looked  different  because 
they  seemed  to  be  turned  away  in  a  seductive  man- 
ner. She  had  the  spirit  of  creating  conversation  more 
than  most  women.  She  spoke  little  and  never  con- 
demned, but  when  she  spoke  her  words  penetrated." 

Though  she  traveled  a  great  deal  it  was  largely 
because  of  the  upheaval  in  France,  or  for  want  of 
health  that  she  visited  the  watering  places  in  France 
or  in  Italy.  Speaking  of  her  travels  she  said,  "I  only 
enjoy  it  because  of  the  independence  it  gives  me,  as 
I  am  attracted  to  the  country,  not  so  much  for  the 
country  as  for  the  solitude  it  gives  me. 

"Travel  holds  me  because  I  know  that  I  have  the 
opportunity   to  do   as   I   please.     Though   it   attracts 


106  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

me,  still  I  find  this  solitude  a  bore.  When  one  is  young 
nature  speaks  much  to  you,  for  we  are  all  children 
of  disillusionment.  At  these  moments  nature  be- 
comes colder  and  less  full  of  meaning.  Then  soli- 
tude hangs  heavy  on  us  and  we  long  for  conversa- 
tion." 

Chateaubriand  did  not  like  to  speak  much  and 
especially  in  a  loud  voice.  Juliette  Recamier  appre- 
ciated this  fact  and  never  forced  him  to  talk  when 
he  wanted  to  think  or  write.  She  knew  that  he  took 
his  pen  in  hand  naturally,  but  it  was  only  in  great 
moments  he  wished  to  speak.  Sweetness  was  lack- 
ing in  his  nature  and  it  was  this  he  looked  for  and 
found  in  Juliette. 

Writing  to  a  friend  about  his  visit  to  Rome,  he 
remarked,  "Beautiful  women  are  a  common  feature 
in  Rome.  They  are  called  by  their  poets  the  Clolie 
and  the  Cornelie;  you  can  well  imagine  the  antique 
figures  of  Juno  and  Minerva  coming  down  from  their 
pedestals  and  marching  about  the  temples.  Pardon 
all  these  recollections  but  it  is  the  tyranny  of  my 
memory  in  seeing  the  past  in  the  present.  This  is  a 
part  that  is  miserable.  Grace  to  Juliette  Recamier, 
but  grace  to  her  it  is  the  present  which  illuminates 
the  past." 

In  response  once  to  a  thrust,  he  answered,  "If  I  can 
get  my  demission  I  hope  to  come  back  and  spend 
years  in  Paris,  or  I  should  prefer  to  live  in  a  faraway 
corner  where  I  shall  no  longer  be  tormented  by  what 
people  say."  But  the  duchess  who  made  the  thrust 
was  persistent  enough  to  answer  him.  'You  have 
many  good  qualities,  but  you  are  a  man,  and  many 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  107 

of  the  little  things  and  affectations  make  your  heart 
solid  in   its  attachments." 

He  left  Berlin  after  holding  his  post  but  a  little 
while.  Speaking  of  this  event  in  his  memoirs  d'Outre 
Tombe,  he  wrote  to  Juliette  that  he  hoped  to  see 
Mathieu  as  soon  as  he  returned,  but  he  doubted 
whether  Mathieu  would  be  pleased  to  see  him,  for 
having  given  up  his  post  so  hurriedly.  Whether  he 
was  in  Paris  or  in  Berlin  after  181 8,  he  became  Juliette's 
first  consideration.  He  tried  her  patience  much  more 
than  had  any  of  her  other  friends  outside  of  Constant. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Lamartine  had  been  in- 
vited by  Juliette  to  read  his  Meditations.  For  it  was 
in  1822  that  her  modest  home  in  the  Abbaye  became  a 
rendezvous  for  foreigners,  no  less  than  for  Frenchmen 
of  genius,  having  all  shades  of  political  and  literary 
opinions.  Lamartine  says  in  the  Cour-familiar  de 
Litterature,  "I  was  passing  through  Paris  on  my  way 
to  Rome  and  I  took  the  opportunity  of  going  to  the 
Abbaye  for  I  wanted  to  see  the  Duchess  of  Devon- 
shire, the  most  sympathetic  and  generous  woman 
towards  artists  in  Europe.  An  unknown  woman  was 
standing  at  her  side,  with  her  arms  on  the  mantel- 
piece, and  she  was  trying  to  warm  her  feet  over  some 
dying  embers.  I  had  little  time  to  notice  as  one  sees 
stars  shimmering  in  the  night,  a  high  forehead,  beige 
hair,  a  Greek  nose,  eyes  that  were  bathed  in  the  blue 
of  the  soul,  a  mouth  that  drew  together  a  bit  when 
she  smiled,  cheeks  that  were  neither  rosy  nor  pale, 
but  like  velvet  seemed  to  be  touched  bv  Autumn  air. 
There  was  perfect  harmony,  a  harmony  born  out  of 
character."    Marimee  was  also  brought  to  the  Abbaye 


108  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

by  Ampere,  but  he  was  sparser  in  his  praise  of  her. 
Juliette  had  given  up  her  attractive  home  with  its 
lovely  gardens  in  the  Rue  Anjou  and  had  established 
herself  in  the  Abbaye  au  Bois.  Her  husband's  fail- 
ure made  this  a  necessity.  Never  was  Juliette  so 
popular  as  she  was  living  on  the  third  floor  in  this 
small  apartment,  overlooking  a  court.  On  the  win- 
dows were  placed  pots  of  flowers,  while  in  the  court 
below  walked  the  sisters  for  their  daily  airing. 

Chateaubriand  rose  early  and  wrote  mornings.  He 
went  every  afternoon  climbing  three  flights  of  stairs  to 
see  Juliette.  Either  he  read  to  her  or  she  to  him  and 
at  three  o'clock  the  doors  were  thrown  open  to  her 
friends.  Often  the  three  rooms  were  so  crowded  that 
many  famous  visitors  had  to  be  turned  away.  This 
was  especially  true  when  writers  like  Chateaubriand, 
Lamartine,  Balzac  or  Ballanche  read  from  their  un- 
published works. 

One  evening,  Monsieur  Lafond,  a  tragic  actor  of 
distinguished  merit,  recited  a  spiritual  address  from  the 
pen  of  Casimir  Delavigne  to  the  people  of  Rouen.  The 
verses  were  good,  full  of  fervor  and  spirit  and  of  true 
poetical  feeling,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
spoken  by  Monsieur  Lafond  gave  them  their  full  effect. 
The  whole  scene  was  indeed  striking  and  beautiful. 

A  circle  of  elegant  women  surrounded  the  performer. 
The  gentlemen  were  stationed  in  groups  behind, 
while  the  inspired  figure  of  Gerard's  Corinne  was 
strongly  brought  forward  from  the  rest  of  the  picture 
by  a  skillful  arrangement. 

Juliette  went  to  church  every  morning;  her  friend, 
M.  Genoude,  went  with  her.    M.  Chateaubriand  never 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  109 

failed  to  meet  her  there.  He  knelt  down  to  listen  to  the 
mass  behind  the  chair  of  a  friend  and  often  forgot 
his  prayer  admiring  her. 

Suddenly  a  coolness  sprang  up  between  Juliette  and 
Chateaubriand.  She  found  his  friendship  exacting  in 
spite  of  her  admiration  for  him.  He  was  jealous  of 
the  attention  she  was  getting  from  Ampere,  Ballanche, 
Lamartine  and  of  Mathieu  de  Montmorency.  He 
decided  finally  to  apply  for  the  embassy  at  London  and 
received  the  post  in  September,  1822. 

Again  Juliette  missed  this  savant,  in  spite  of  his 
exacting  nature,  though  she  struggled  hard  to  get 
comfort  from  the  personal  visits  and  letters  of  her 
admirers. 

Hardly  a  day  passed,  but  he  wrote  her  lengthy 
letters,  telling  what  he  was  doing  and  what  he  was 
writing.  He  made  mention  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  asked  to  give  a  reading  for  charity.  It  was  a 
great  success,  and  he  also  said  he  was  in  affluence  in 
the  same  city  where  as  a  boy  he  had  at  one  time  been 
in  actual  want. 

Ballanche  tried  to  make  up  this  loss  by  calling  on  her 
daily,  reading  everything  he  wrote.  He  also  induced 
her  to  spend  part  of  her  time  translating  Petrarch. 
Though  this  work  was  started  it  never  was  completed. 

Ampere  spent  much  time  in  her  company  when  he 
was  in  Paris,  and  wrote  her  loving  letters  when  they 
were  separated.     The  following  is  one  of  many: 

June  7th,   1822. 

"This  evening  is  like  a  happy  dream  to  me.  I  am 
quite  intoxicated  with  it.     I  try  to  gather  my  ideas. 


no  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

I  cannot.  Happiness  which  fills  my  soul  arouses  me 
with  passion.  I  do  not  feel  as  though  I  were  to  depart 
tomorrow  and  that  you,  too,  are  leaving  the  day  after 
tomorrow.  During  a  whole  week  we  shall  be  separated." 

Chateaubriand's  ambitions  and  desire  were  destroy- 
ing little  by  little  the  sweet  serenity  Juliette  had  always 
known,  even  in  spite  of  misfortunes  and  other  disap- 
pointments. All  the  calm  cheerfulness  of  her  previous 
life,  her  peaceful  days  were  troubled  greatly  by  his 
agitations.  Those  former  pleasant  hours  were  pre- 
vented by  cabinet  councils,  the  sitting  of  chambers. 

Many  years  afterwards  she  told  a  friend  that  feeling 
a  sentiment  so  perfect  as  that  which  she  had  done, 
filled  her  whole  mind,  it  finally  lost  all  its  charm 
and  dwindled  into  nothing.  She  had  the  feeling 
that  she  might  not  always  have  the  self-control  to  re- 
frain from  reproaching  Chateaubriand.  This  threw  a 
gloom  over  the  past,  leaving  unpleasant  recollections  of 
past  quarrels.  Juliette  left  for  Italy  in  November, 
1823.  She  made  the  poor  health  of  her  adopted 
niece  an  excuse.     Ballanche  soon  followed  her. 

Juliette  spent  much  time  in  Rome,  much  of  the  time 
in  the  company  of  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire.  She 
had  with  her  two  of  her  favorite  escorts,  Ballanche 
and  Ampere,  who  had  gone  to  Italy  ostensibly  to  write 
a  guide  of  Italy.  Ampere  especially  was  glad  that  she 
had  rid  herself  of  Chateaubriand's  company,  for  he 
thought  that  Chateaubriand  got  on  her  nerves  and  that 
he  was  usurping  too  much  of  her  time. 

While  in  Rome  she  held  salons  to  which  Romans  and 
French  people  of  different  political  parties  were  in- 
vited. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  hi 

Speaking  of  these  travels  later,  she  said:  "Traveling 
tired  me,  but  I  liked  to  travel  because  of  the  independ- 
ence it  gave  me.  I  liked  the  service  of  the  sea  for  the 
spirit  of  independence  it  gave  me,  but  I  do  not  like  to 
place  myself  under  obedience  of  any  kind. 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  obey,"  she  said.  "There- 
fore, I  find  that  I  enjoy  traveling  alone,  and  followed 
my  wish.  Solitude  pleases  me,  and  still  it  fatigues 
me,  but  often  life  fatigues  me.  This  is  a  misfortune 
from  which  I  have  suffered  all  my  life.  I  must  suffer 
because  there  is  no  remedy  for  it.  Meditations, 
enchantment,  secret  and  indescribable  charm  of  soul, 
how  I  reveled  in  these." 

It  was  toward  the  end  of  her  visit  in  Rome  that 
Queen  Hortense  came  to  the  capital  with  her  two  sons. 
Though  Juliette  had  not  seen  her  since  the  Hundred 
Days  in  Paris,  a  warm  friendship  sprang  up  between 
them  again,  and  Juliette,  with  her  exquisite  tact, 
never  mentioned  to  her  the  unhappy  years  she  had 
spent  in  exile. 

The  Queen  invited  her  to  accompany  her  to  a  masked 
ball  at  the  Torlonia.  Both  women  went  dressed  alike. 
This  friendship  continued  to  the  Queen's  death  in  1837. 
When  she  died  she  recalled  this  sweet  friendship  by 
leaving  Juliette  a  lace  shawl  which  she  wore  while  in 
Rome. 

During  this  visit  to  Rome,  Juliette  made  trips  to 
Florence  and  to  Naples;  the  charm  of  Florence  and  its 
country  delighted  her  more  than  had  Rome.  But 
her  long  stay  in  Rome  was  not  pleasing  to  Mathieu 
de  Montmorency,  who  begged  her  to  set  a  time  for 
her  return  to  Paris.    She  was  not  without  letters  from 


112  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Chateaubriand,  but  most  of  them  were  not  interest- 
ing because  they  were  filled  with  thoughts  concern- 
ing his  own  political  gain.  It  was  while  she  was 
traveling  in  Naples  that  he  wrote  to  her  telling  that 
he  had  been  dismissed  from  the  ministry  without  a 
word  of  warning.  Chateaubriand  told  Juliette  then 
by  letter,  and  later  he  explained  that  this  sudden 
demission  was  caused  by  differing  with  M.  Villele 
on  the  question  of  the  electoral  rule,  and  the  question 
of  the  conversion  of  rents.  Chateaubriand  was  ac- 
cused, by  his  silence,  of  having  favored  the  majority. 

In  spite  of  these  unfortunate  happenings  to  Cha- 
teaubriand, Juliette  continued  to  enjoy  her  life  in  Italy, 
and  did  not  worry  too  much.  While  in  Naples  she 
had  the  good  fortune  of  being  presented  to  the  Count 
of  Neipperg,  and  to  the  Duke  of  Rohan-Chabot.  The 
one  had  ascended  to  the  symbol  of  the  eagle,  the 
other  to  the  wearing  of  the  purple.  The  Duke  of 
Rohan  was  considered  a  handsome  man,  and  was  most 
fastidious  in  his  toilet.  Later  when  this  pious  man 
was  made  an  abbe,  he  proved  himself  to  be  a  man 
of  iron.  He  had  been  a  chaplain  under  Napoleon, 
but  he  was  made  a  cardinal  during  the  Restoration. 
He  was  pale  and  aesthetic  looking  and  had  a  sombre 
way  of  speaking. 

She  had  the  good  fortune  of  meeting  many  talented 
painters  and  sculptors  during  the  time  spent  in  Rome 
as  she  had  before.  Canova  was  dead,  but  Thorwald- 
sen,  who  was  doing  much  fine  work  in  Rome,  took  his 
place.  Chateaubriand  wished  to  have  some  bas  re- 
liefs made  to  illustrate  the  Martyrs.  Juliette  gave 
Thorwaldsen  the  commission  which  resulted  in  many 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  113 

delightful  afternoons  spent  in  his  studio  by  her  and  her 
friends.  This  friendship  commenced  in  1824  and  con- 
tinued when  Chateaubriand  took  the  embassy  at 
Rome  in  1828.  Among  the  other  social  leaders  to 
whom  she  was  presented,  was  the  Duke  of  Noailles, 
married  to  Mile,  de  Mortemart,  and  his  young  wife, 
a  charming  woman  whom  Juliette  met  at  the  French 
embassy.  The  Duke  of  Noailles  was  the  last  of  her 
young  friends.  A  number  of  Russians  came  to  her 
salon;  among  this  number  was  a  brilliant  woman  by 
the  name  of  the  Countess  of  Nesselrode. 

Mme.  Swetchine  who  had  had  a  salon  at  one  time 
in  Paris  was  in  Rome.  She  was  the  friend  of  Con- 
stant, and  had  invited  him  to  come  to  her  home  and 
pray  with  her  that  Juliette  might  again  take  him  into 
her  good  graces.  Charming,  and  at  times  brilliant  in 
conversation,  she  took  special  delight  in  conversing 
with  Ballanche  on  philosophical  subjects. 

Juliette  made  a  number  of  sojourns  to  many  points 
of  interest  from  Rome.  She  took  her  niece  with  her 
to  Trieste;  the  ladies  were  accompanied  by  Juliette's 
good  friend,  Ballanche.  Her  old  time  friend  Mme. 
Murat  had  come  there  to  see  her.  It  was  after  eleven 
when  they  arrived,  but  Juliette  was  admitted  to  her 
bedchamber,  where  the  old  time  friends  chatted  until 
early  morning,  over  fortunate  and  unfortunate  hap- 
penings. The  next  morning  the  Queen  sent  her  a 
letter  of  greeting  with  a  large  bouquet  of  flowers. 
While  Juliette  was  in  Trieste,  she  presented  her  niece 
and  her  friend  Ballanche  to  the  Queen.  The  Queen  was 
delighted  with  the  charm  of  the  sweet,  simple  young 
girl  who  was  being  educated  under  Juliette's  careful 


1 14  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

supervision.  In  .turn  she  presented  her  second  daugh- 
ter, the  Princess  Louise  to  them.  The  villa  in  which 
the  Queen  was  living  was  a  suitable  setting  for  her 
charm  and  beauty,  which  she  still  enjoyed.  On  the 
ioth  day  of  May,  1825,  Juliette  made  up  her  mind 
to  return  to  Paris,  urged  by  letters  from  Mathieu  de 
Montmorency  and  Chateaubriand,  and  because  her 
niece  wanted  to  see  Paris  once  more. 


Chapter  X 

Juliette  Back  in  Paris 

'ULIETTE  returned  to  her  small  apart- 
ment in  the  Abbaye,  and  no  sooner  was 
she  settled  than  Rene  Chateaubriand 
commenced  his  daily  visits  without  any 
reference  to  any  unpleasant  past  feelings. 
Juliette  was  delighted  at  the  thought  of  again  being 
in   the  midst  of  her  family  and  friends. 

The  death  of  Louis  XVIII  brought  Chateaubriand 
back  to  Paris.  He  announced  the  coming  of  Charles 
X  in  his  pamphlet,  "Bonaparte  and  the  Bourbons, 
'The  king  is  dead,  long  live  the  king.'  Chateaubriand 
and  his  wife  went  to  the  Coronation  of  Charles  X 
at  Rheims.  Being  a  chevalier,  he  was  present  at 
the  ceremony;  recognizing  this  order,  the  King 
spoke  some  friendly  words  with  him. 

The  coronation  ceremony  over,  Rene  went  back  to 
Paris  to  continue  his  work  and  to  enjoy  his  associa- 
tion  with  Juliette  Recamier. 

She  was  living  for  a  short  time  at  the  Vallee  au 
Loups,  which  was  now  owned  by  Mathieu  de  Mont- 
morency. One  of  his  real  pleasures  consisted  in  visit- 
ing there  Juliette  who  had  rented  the  house.  About 
this  time  they  suggested  the  name  of  Mme.  Desbords, 
introduced  by  M.  De  Latouche.  She  was  not  given 
the  scholarly  recognition,  but  she  was  offered  a  living, 
about  one  thousand  francs. 

A  moment  of  honest  joy  crept  into  the  heart  of 
Juliette,    when    her    adopted    daughter    was    married 

"5 


n6  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

to  Mr.  Leormant,  who  was  made  inspector  of  the 
Academy  of  the  Beaux  Art  through  the  influence  of 
M.  le  vicomte  of  de  La  Rochefoucauld.  A  few  weeks 
before  this  happy  event,  M.  Mathieu  de  Montmorency 
was  honored  with  the  title  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
in  recognition  for  his  high  morals  and  religious  views. 
He  commenced  his  work  at  once,  but  on  the  24th  of 
March  he  was  seen  kneeling  prostrate  before  the  tomb 
of  the  Saviour.  His  death  followed  shortly  afterwards. 
Though  the  duke  had  not  lived  with  his  wife  and 
daughter  for  some  time,  both  of  them  took  his  death 
much  to  heart.  Some  time  later,  his  wife,  realizing 
that  some  of  the  lectures  her  husband  had  given  at 
the  Abbaye,  and  his  letters  annoyed  her,  she  sent 
them   to  Juliette. 

She  built  a  hospital  to  her  husband's  memory  and 
devoted  herself  to  taking  care  of  the  sick  and  needy. 
At  the  death  of  Mathieu  de  Montmorency,  Rene 
wrote  a  prayer  to  console  his  friend  Juliette. 

Though  he  was  always  received  alone  at  the  Abbaye, 
Juliette  received  many  visitors  in  spite  of  her  tiny 
apartment  on  the  third  floor.  In  this  galaxy  of  visit- 
tors  was  the  Duke  of  Rochefoucauld,  Ampere,  Benjamin 
Constant,  Delphine  Gay  and  Mile.  Mante,  an  actress 
of  the  Theatre  Francais. 

This  cell  Juliette  occupied  seven  years.  It  was  in 
1826  that  she  occupied  the  apartment  on  the  first 
floor,  left  vacant  by  the  Marquise  of  Montmurail. 
It  was  here  that  Lamartine  read  from  his  Meditations. 

Etienne  Delecluze  speaking  of  these  reunions  at  the 
Abbaye  said:  "They  were  not  only  friends  and  many 
acquaintances   of  Juliette,   but   there    were    evenings 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  117 

when  the  smartest  of  Parisian  society  found  access 
there.  They  added  to  the  charm  of  the  gathering  and 
to  the  brilliant  conversation.  At  times  music  offered 
the  evening's  amusement,  but  more  often  it  addressed 
itself  to  the  intellectuals  and  to  the  men  and  women 
of  common  soul.  Here  were  read  the  unpublished 
work  of  Chateaubriand,  of  Ampere,  of  Balzac,  the 
great  novelist  whose  works  were  still  unknown  and  he 
read  from  some  of  these  unpublished  works.  The 
lecturers  were  the  Duke  of  Noailles,  known  in  Rome 
and  in  Paris;  seated  close  to  Chateaubriand  was  the 
son  of  Ampere.  At  first  Chateaubriand  read  from  the 
script  on  which  he  was  now  hard  at  work,  the 
Memoires  d'Outre  Tombe.  At  times  these  lectures 
took  on  the  nature  of  reunions,  but  when  Juliette 
planned  them  they  were  much  more  formal." 

The  great  poet  did  not  often  read  himself;  perhaps 
he  feared  that  his  voice  would  not  carry  and  his  soul 
was  filled  with  such  intense  emotions.  But  if  one  lost 
certain  accents  of  mystery  in  not  hearing  him,  it  had 
certain  advantages;  one  followed  the  lecture  as  a 
shadow  hiding  a   traveler  through   a  forest. 

On  small  tables  there  were  books  of  the  most  fa- 
mous men  of  France  of  the  day  elegant  in  their 
appearance,  and  on  the  fly  leaves  were  written  many 
kinds  of  tokens  of  friendship. 

One  of  the  writers  speaks  of  these  soirees  in  these 
words,  "The  fewest  of  the  salons  were  held  evenings 
and  Chateaubriand  did  not  like  to  come  to  them.  I 
only  saw  him  there  once,  on  the  following  occasions. 

"M.  de  Fresnes  had  composed  some  beautiful  music; 
an  opera  which  had  for  a  title  Cymodocee,  the  subject 


u8  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

had  been  taken  from  Chateaubriand's  Martyrs,  and 
had  been  arranged  by  M.  Fitre  Chevalier.  This 
harmonious  and  clever  music  was  executed  by  artists 
and  made  a  splendid  effect. 

"All  the  connoisseurs  and  critics  were  gathered 
together,  the  press  was  invited  to  take  part  at  the 
fete.  Jules  Janin,  Theophile  Gautier,  Eduard  Thiery, 
Fiorentino,  Francis  Wey,  and  Leon  Gorzlan."  The 
hero  of  the  hour  was  little  in  evidence.  When  some 
one  went  near  him  he  commenced  to  excuse  himself 
for  being  there  at  that  hour,  which  was  contrary  to 
his   usual   custom. 

After  the  death  of  M.  Mathieu  de  Montmorency, 
M.  Chateaubriand  wished  to  soften  Juliette  Re- 
camier's  suffering  and  he  wrote  a  prayer  for  him 
which  he  gave  to  Juliette.  In  this  prayer  he  spoke  of 
her  as  a  miracle  of  kindness.  "I  have  found  in  your 
friend's  soul  the  virtue  which  I  lost.  In  looking  at 
your  divine  beauty  one  feels  transported  and  it  robs 
death  of  its  shadows  of  gloom." 

About  this  time  Mme.  de  Chateaubriand,  always 
delicate,  was  excited  greatly  over  the  political  differ- 
ences of  her  husband,  and  she  went  to  the  middle  of 
France  for  a  trip.  Chateaubriand  remained  behind 
and  spent  much  of  his  leisure  paying  daily  visits  to 
the  Abbaye  au  Bois.  He  was  getting  more  liberal  in 
his  political  views  and  more  daring  in  his  expression. 
Finally  it  was  decided  to  send  him  as  minister  to 
Rome,  in  the  place  of  the  Duke  de  Laval,  who  had 
held  the  position  up  to  then,  but  was  being  transferred 
to  Vienna. 

Juliette's  friends  were  surprised  to  learn  that  Cha- 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  119 

teaubriand  was  willing  to  be  separated  for  any  length 
of  time  from  the  Abbaye.  Juliette  realized  that  his 
going  would  put  a  damper  on  her  salon,  but  she 
wanted  to  make  the  best  of  it.  But  she  urged  the  Duke 
de  Laval  to  give  him  the  post,  which  he  did  for  her 
sake. 

From  September,  1828  to  May,  1829,  her  salon  was 
at  low  ebb,  for  Juliette  was  busy  receiving  letters 
from  him  from  Rome,  and  in  answering  them.  In 
the  midst  of  these  trials  she  suffered  another  loss, 
in  the  passing  of  her  father. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  many  letters  writ- 
ten during  the  years  1826-29: 

Ampere  to  Juliette: 

"Naples,  Thursday  16,  1826. 

"I  received  your  second  letter  from  Terracine;  it 
touches  me  to  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  think  of 
you  and  follow  you  on  this  road  on  which  you  are 
alone.  I  follow  you  like  the  poor  pigeon  traveler. 
Has  my  brother  all  he  wants,  good  food,  good  lodging 
and  best  of  everything? 

J.  J.  Ampere." 

She  in  turn  wrote  him  the  following  letter:  "I 
want  to  think  of  your  excellent  father,  of  his  happi- 
ness in  seeing  you  again,  so  I  could  not  find  that  your 
absence  was  absurd.  I  am  delighted  with  your  lec- 
ture. Do  you  not  work  during  this  long  voyage? 
You  promised  me  an  elegy  on  Venice.  The  weather 
is  admirable,  the  air  is  sweet  and  perfumed.  I  am 
alone.     Goodbye  until  Saturdav." 


120  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

These  letters  are  interesting  for  many  reasons.  They 
show  the  spirit  of  egotism  that  was  mixed  with  his 
passion  of  love  as  far  as  Juliette  was  concerned.  His 
enthusiasm  was  filled  with  doubt  and  she  did  much 
to  rob  him  of  this  pessimism.  Except  in  religion  he 
had  little  faith.  He  desired  more  than  he  hoped  for. 
Hope  is  a  sentiment  composed  of  sweetness  and  se- 
curity. The  word  hope  is  seldom  seen  in  his  letters, 
and  with  that  restriction  he  speaks:  "I  hope  as  much 
as  I  can  hope."  Again  he  says:  "I  believe  that  I 
can  nourish  myself  with  hope,  but  not  too  much." 

"Dieppe,  the  first  of  August,  1829. 

"It  is  today  that  you  left  and  I  put  you  into  my 
thoughts  and  vows.  I  listen  with  impatience  news 
about  your  trip.  I  spoke  to  M.  Ballanche  this  morn- 
ing about  your  illustrious  father.  He  has  a  warm 
regard  for  him,  and  I  spoke  to  him  about  your  future 
plans. 

"We  are  here  in  the  midst  of  a  world  of  perfect 
solitude.  I  go  to  bed  at  nine  o'clock,  and  I  get  up  at 
six  o'clock.  I  am  taking  sea  baths  and  they  are  do- 
ing me  a  world  of  good.  I  walk  along  the  sea,  and  I 
think  and  dream  of  my  friends.  I  sometimes  make 
morning  visits  and  I  pass  my  evenings  with  Ballanche. 
This  solitude  is  ideal,  and  I  only  need  your  spirit  to 
change  the  occasional  monotony  into  varied  interest. 

"Madame  Chateaubriand  has  gone  to  Canterets. 
I  received  a  letter  from  her.  The  wisdom  and  inter- 
est she  takes  in  you  shows  that  I  have  a  right  to 
your  friendship.  Nothing  sweeter  can  be  imagined 
than   the  letters  and   the  interest  you  show  in  me." 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  121 

Ballanche  and  Chateaubriand  became  less  friendly 
at  this  time.  And  for  two  reasons.  Ballanche  felt 
that  Chateaubriand  was  somewhat  selfish  in  his  in- 
terests as  far  as  his  friendship  with  women  was  con- 
cerned. He  flattered  Juliette  because  he  wished  to 
use  her  socially.  Besides  he  was  opposed  to  the  hu- 
mor which  Chateaubriand  put  into  his  article,  "La 
Monarchie  selon  la  charte."  Balanche  was  a  Royal- 
ist at  heart  but  still  he  was  alive  to  conditions  as 
they  should  be.  He  had  the  feeling  that  Chateau- 
briand might  get  Juliette  mixed  up  unfortunately  in 
political  affairs. 

During  this  time,  every  morning  Chateaubriand 
wrote  the  fair  Juliette  a  letter,  and  he  went  to  see  her 
every  afternoon.  But  the  political  influence  he  was 
getting,  and  the  fortunate  way  he  had  in  worming 
his  way  to  Juliette's  heart  did  not  satisfy  him.  He 
knew  that  Mathieu  de  Montmorency  would  do  any- 
thing in  his  power  to  please  Juliette,  so  he  used  this 
influence  to  help  him  get  an  embassy,  first  to  Berlin 
and  then  to  London.  Chateaubriand  told  her  that 
he  had  been  forced  to  accept  this  political  trust,  but 
he  would  make  it  as  short  as  possible.  It  is  said  on 
good  authority  that  Juliette  missed  Rene  more  than 
she  had  most  of  her  admirers.  At  least  the  following 
letter  written  by  her  rival,  the  Duchess  of  Duras, 
would  suggest  this:  "Dear  brother,  I  wish  to  speak 
of  you  and  the  affair  at  the  Abbaye  au  Bois.  Friends 
say  that  you  are  coming  back  in  the  spring  to  be  near 
that  beautiful  woman,  and  that  lady  grows  pale  while 
waiting.  In  your  absence  it  was  one  of  your  best 
friends  who  told  me  this.     It  would  seem   that  you 


122  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

cannot  live  unless  you  are  chained.  Can  I  believe 
this?  They  say  that  you  are  going  to  give  up  your 
position  so  that  you  can  look  on  her  face  and  into  her 
eyes  whenever  you  like.  This  will  spoil  your  diplo- 
matic career.  Well,  do  as  you  like  in  this  matter.  I 
shall  at  least  see  you  some  time." 

Juliette  in  no  way  considered  herself  as  Mme.  Cha- 
teaubriand's rival,  but  rather  her  good  angel  and  refuge. 
Mme.  de  Chateaubriand  sought  her  assistance  when 
her  husband  was  cast  down.  In  spite  of  a  second 
loss  of  Juliette's  husband's  fortune,  she  was  radiant  with 
happiness,  and  was  handsomer  than  ever,  when  she 
first  moved  to  the  Abbaye.  Solitude  and  reflection 
had  given  her  new  power  of  enjoyment;  her  taste  for 
intellectual  society  was  increased. 

Picture  her  in  a  small  apartment  at  the  Abbaye 
au  Bois,  in  a  large  old  building  in  the  Rue  de  Sevres 
with  a  courtyard  closed  on  the  street  by  a  high  iron 
gate  surmounted  by  a  cross  of  the  same  metal.  Through 
this  gate  one  sees  the  square  court,  and  opposite  to 
the  entrance  to  the  parlor  of  the  convent.  Different 
staircases  ascend  from  this  yard  conducting  to  apart- 
ments inhabited  by  retired  ladies.  Here  every  night 
Mathieu  de  Montmorency  came;  the  Superior  con- 
sented that  the  outside  gate  which  had  been  closed 
at  eleven  should  be  permitted  to  remain  open  till 
twelve. 

Here  is  a  description  of  the  room  left  by  Chateau- 
briand: "Her  bedroom  was  furnished  with  a  library, 
a  harp  and  a  piano,  a  portrait  of  Madame  de  Stael 
and  a  view  of  Coppet  at  moonlight.  After  climb- 
ing three  flights  of  stairs,  I  entered  her  cell  at  the 


The  .Life  of  Juliette   Recamier  123 

approach  of  evening.  I  was  delighted,  for  the  win- 
dows looked  out  on  the  gardens,  where  the  religious 
ones  promenaded  evenings.  The  shadows  of  an  acacia 
were  seen  from  the  windows  and  the  Sevres  hills.  The 
sun  gilded  the  picture  and  entered  the  open  windows. 
Some  of  the  birds  slept  in  the  shutters  that  were  open. 
I  reveled  there  in  the  silence  and  the  solitude,  so  far 
away  from  the  tumult  of  the  great  city. 

"But  the  most  precious  thing  one  found  there  was 
a  friendship  which  was  difficult  to  distinguish  from 
love." 

Chateaubriand   to  Juliette: 

"Paris,  Sunday  morning,  14th  Sept.,  1828. 

"This  is  my  first  letter,  it  calls  you  to  Rome  or 
brings  me  back  to  Paris.  Believe  me,  nothing  in  life 
will  be  able  to  separate  me  from  you.  I  will  not  tell 
you  how  much  I  suffer  for  I  know  you  suffer,  too. 
Before  I  come  to  Rome  a  month  will  be  past  and  this 
month  is  one  less  to  be  separated  from  you.  You  may 
depart  earlier  than  you  have  decided.  If  you  do  not 
come  it  will  be  your  fault;  for  I  will  love  you  so  much; 
my  letters  will  call  you  to  come  so  often.  I  will  beg 
you  to  come  to  me  with  so  much  constancy  that  you 
will  have  no  reason  to  leave  me  alone. 

"Think  of  this  that  we  have  to  finish  our  days  to- 
gether, that  present  which  consists  of  what  is  left  of 
life  to  me  is  a  very  poor  one,  but  take  it,  and  if  I  have 
lost  some  days  I  will  make  the  few  that  are  left  to  me 
all   the  better. 

"I  will  write  a  few  lines  to  you  tonight  from  Fon- 
tainebleau,   then   from   Yilleneuve,   from   Dijon,   Lau- 


124  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

sanne,  and  from  the  Simplon.  Let  me  have  a  few 
lines  from  you  poste  restant  at  Milan.  I  hope  to 
see  you  again  soon.  I  will  prepare  a  lodging  for  you 
and  take  possession  of  the  ruins  of  Rome  for  you. 
My  good  angel  protect  me. 

"Ballanche  has  given  me  great  pleasure,  he  had 
seen  you;  he  brought  me  something  from  you.  Good- 
bye till  this  evening.  I  brighten  up  again.  Write  a 
line  to  Lausanne  there  where  I  shall  find  your  souvenir 
and  then  at  Milan.  You  must  stamp  the  letters. 
Hyacinthe  will  see  you.  He  will  being  me  tidings 
from  you  at  Villeneuve." 

"Rome,  October  27th,  1828. 

"Although  I  did  not  expect  to  receive  a  letter  from 
you  yesterday,  since  I  had  one  by  the  preceding  mail 
and  since  you  are  not  prodigal  with  your  letters,  I 
felt  very  sad  in  seeing  nothing  from  you. 

"I  am  still  in  the  same  disposition;  from  weariness 
and  solitude  I  have  fallen  in  visiting  and  dinner  parties. 
It  is  now  decidedly  clear  to  me  that  I  can  no  longer 
bear  the  life  of  the  world.  I  never  liked  it,  but  my 
five  years  of  retreat  have  completed  my  incapability 
of  social  duties.  I  wonder  why  I  should  thus  lose 
time  in  seeing  people  with  whom  I  have  no  ideas  in 
common,  why  I  should  give  what  remains  of  my  life 
to  stupid  gossip  of  ordinary  people.  And  all  this  why? 
In  order  to  attain  an  aim  which  I  do  not  wish  to  at- 
tain since  I  have  no  ambition  and  that  I  only  aspire 
to   retire. 

You  see  that  since  even  in  arts  and  science  I  only 
find  objects  of  sadness  and  in  the  world  objects  of 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  125 

weariness,  I  must  go  back  as  soon  as  possible  into 
my  den.  It  is  near  you  that  I  will  find  again  all  that 
I    miss   here." 

"Rome,  Saturday  11   April,   1829. 

"We  are  now  in  the  nth  of  April.  In  a  week  it 
will  be  Easter;  in  a  fortnight  I  will  get  my  conge  and 
then  see  you!  Everything  disappears  with  that  hope 
— I  am  no  longer  sad.  I  no  longer  think  of  ministers 
or  politics.  Be  again  with  you,  this  is  all.  I  would 
give   the  rest   for   a   farthing. 

"Tomorrow  the  Holy  Week  will  begin.  I  will  think 
of  all  you  told  me  about  it.  Why  are  you  not  here 
to  hear  with  me  those  beautiful  songs  of  grief?  And 
then  we  should  walk  in  the  deserts  of  the  Roman 
campagna  now  covered  with  grass  and  flowers.  All  the 
ruins  seem  to  grow  younger  with  the  years.  I  am 
of  the  number.  My  friend  Bertin  has  taken  all  the 
good  out  of  the  speech.  He  brought  forth  the  praise 
given  to  Cardinal  Castiglioni,  and  four  days  after 
you  will  have  heard  that  this  cardinal  was  the  Pope 
as  a  reward  for  his  praises.  I  wait  the  arrival  of  the 
post  before  I  close  this  letter. 

"I  have  received  a  good  letter  from  you  of  the 
30th.  I  regret  Rayneval  as  you  do;  but  we  shall  not 
be  fortunate  enough  to  have  him.  I  will  do  what  I 
can  for  Andryane.  I  see  by  the  discussion  that  every- 
body is  against  the  law.  What  is  all  that  to  me?  I 
will  be  at  the  Abbaye-au-Bois  in  a  month  or  even 
before. 

"There  is  a  portrait  of  the  Pope  by  Cottreau.  It 
is  striking." 


126  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

"Lyons,  Sunday  3  h.  ^  24th  of  May,  1829. 

"Read  this  date.  It  is  from  the  town  where  you 
were  born.  You  see  that  we  shall  find  each  other 
again  and  that  I  am  always  right.  I  send  Hyacinthe 
to  bring  you  this  note.  Shall  I  now  bring  you  back 
with  me  to  Rome  or  shall  you  keep  me  back  in  Paris? 
We  will  see.  Today  I  can  only  speak  of  the  happiness 
of  seeing  you  again  on  Thursday.  Besides  if  they 
wait  for  me  impatiently  I  will  deceive  everybody  for 
I  am  pleased  with  nobody.  I  have  hard  truths  to 
tell.  I  will  tell  them  all  the  better  that  I  request 
and  will  nothing.  My  position  is  good.  I  have  done 
a  great  business.  I  have  made  a  hard  and  glorious 
campaign  in  a  place  where  everything  was  entirely 
quiet.  They  wished  to  forget  me  and  that  has  not 
been  possible. 

"My  conge  which  leaves  me  quite  independent  and 
which  has  been  given  to  me  before  M.  Portalis  was 
minister  gives  me  all  the  time  to  choose  the  party  I 
shall  like.  Thursday  at  last.  My  heart  beats  at 
the  thought  to  find  you  again  in  your  little  room. 
I  have  a  letter  from  the  Queen  of  Holland  for  you. 

"Thursday!  I  dare  not  believe  that  word!  Only 
a  week  ago  I  saw  the  mountains  of  Sabine  and  now  I 
see  those  of  the  Bourbonnais!  From  the  Tiber  to 
the  Rhone,  the  Rhone  whose  shades  have  been  embel- 
lished by  your  gaze!     Thursday!" 

"Paris,  Sunday  19th,  July,  1840. 

"You  are  gone.  I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  Paris 
is  a  desert  less  its  beauty.  We  have  taken  no  resolu- 
tion, and  it  is  very  likely  that  we  shall  not  take  any. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  127 

Where  you  are  not  all  is  cold,  everything  fails — resolu- 
tions, decisions.  If  only  I  had  some  work  to  do;  but 
the  memoires  are  finished.  Do  you  know  what  the 
Duchess  of  Cumberland  wrote  to  me  from  Ems?  You 
will  not  write  to  me,  I  will  write  to  you,  although  I 
can  hardly  write  one  letter.  The  old  cat  can  no  longer 
show  its  claws — he  retires.  I  become  smaller,  my 
writing  diminishes — my  ideas  fade.  There  is  only  one 
thing  left  for  me — you.  Let  us  keep  in  mind  Italy. 
Intelligences  to  whatever  opinion  they  belong  are  at 
the  service  of  lies.  The  sun  will  not  deceive  us — she 
will   warm   my  old   years   which   freeze   around   me." 

"Boulogne,  Nov.  21,  1843. 

"I  wanted  to  write  to  you  with  my  own  hand  but 
I  am  so  tired  that  I  am  obliged  to  dictate  to  Danielo. 
I  leave  tomorrow  morning  at  7  o'clock  for  England. 
I  have  received  your  excellent  letter  three  days  ago. 
All  is  well.  A  deputation  from  the  town  came  to  see 
me.  Good-bye — keep  your  friendship  for  me  so  that 
I  might  find  it  entire  at  my  return.  What  a  lot  of 
things  I  have  to  tell  you.  I  saw  the  Gazette.  Thank 
M.  Genoude  for  me  if  you  see  him.  Best  wishes  to 
my  young  and  old  friends." 

To  Madame  Recamier,  14th  May,  1829: 

"My  departure  is  fixed  for  the  16th.  The  letter 
of  Vienna  came  this  morning  announcing  that  the 
Duke  of  Leval  has  refused  the  ministry  of  affairs 
to  strangers.  Is  it  true?  If  he  holds  to  this  first 
refusal  what  will  happen?  God  only  knows.  I  hope 
that  everything  will   be  decided  before  my  arrival  in 


128  The  Life   of  Juliette  Recamier 

Paris.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  fallen  under  a 
paralysis  and  we  only  have  not  the  tongue  of  free 
speech. 

"You  will  think  that  I  shall  combat  M.  de  Laval; 
I  doubt  it.  I  am  not  disposed  to  quarrel  with  any 
one.  I  shall  arrive  in  a  most  pacific  temperament, 
and  these  men  will  have  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  me. 
While  I  await  the  opinion  of  the  minister,  there  is 
not  enough  spirit  of  praise  and  of  flattery  for  me  in 
these  dispatches.  The  day  and  the  place  are  not 
mentioned;  all  that  is  announced  dryly  to  me  is  the 
nomination  of  M.  de  Laval  in  a  rude  dispatch,  and 
most  stupid  at  the  same  time.  But  to  be  so  sly  and  so 
insolent  from  one  post  to  another,  he  ought  to  re- 
member to  whom  he  is  addressing  himself,  and  M. 
Portalis  could  have  averted  by  a  word  the  answers 
which  I  last  gave  him.  It  is  possible  he  signed  it 
without  having  read  it,  as  Carnot  signed  certain 
executions  of  death." 

His  last  thought  about  Rome: 

"The  first  time  I  came  to  Rome  it  was  the  end  of 
June.  The  summer  heat  had  begun  driving  the  crowds 
out  of  the  city.  The  strangers  have  gone  and  the 
Romans  have  locked  themselves  up  in  their  homes. 
One  no  longer  encounters  pedestrians  in  the  streets. 
The  warm  mid-day  sun  beats  down  on  the  Coliseum 
and  nothing  stirs,  except  the  lizards  that  dart  out 
from  the  grasses.  The  earth  is  bare,  the  sky  without 
any  clouds,  it  seems  more  like  a  desert  than  mere 
earth.  But  when  night  comes  the  people  come  out 
of  their  homes  and  Rome  lives  again.  This  life  is 
born  again  out  of  perfect  silence.     Around  the  tombs 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  129 

there  is  an  air  of  life  and  the  promenades  that  have 
been  hidden  in  shadow  are  once  more  lively. 

"Yesterday  I  went  at  moonlight  into  the  country 
between  the  port  of  Angelique  and  Mont  Marius; 
there  I  heard  a  nightingale,  it  was  singing  on  a  balus- 
trade. In  it  I  heard  that  sad  melody,  which  is  so 
frequent  in  Latin  poetry.  I  recognized  the  refrain 
of  all  the  birds,  and  of  this  lovely  symphony  none  was 
so  lovely  as  that  of  the  nightingale;  he  had  some- 
thing veiled  in  his  song,  as  the  sigh  of  the  nightingales 
in  the  trees  in  our  woods.  All  the  notes  were  in  a 
low  voice,  the  strain  blended  from  major  to  minor. 
He  sang  in  a  half  voice,  he  had  the  air  of  wanting  to 
charm  the  sleep  of  those  dead,  wishing  to  awaken 
them.  In  it  was  heard  la  Lydie  of  Horace,  of  Delia, 
of  Tibulle,  of  Corinne,  of  Ovid,  and  there  only  re- 
mained the  Nightingale  of  Virgil.  This  hymn  of  love 
is  powerful  at  this  hour.  It  gives  I  know  not  what 
feeling  of  passion  to  this  second  life.  It  gives  one 
the  feeling  that  made  a  young  man  say  to  a  Greek 
girl:  'If  there  only  remained  the  string  of  my  strand 
of  pearls  I  should  divide  that  with  you.' 

"If  I  have  the  good  fortune  to  spend  my  last  days 
here  I  shall  arrange  to  enjoy  them  at  Saint  Onuphre 
and  have  the  room  adjoining  to  where  Tasso  lived. 
In  moments  forgetting  all  my  political  work  in  the 
window  of  that  cell  I  shall  continue  my  memoirs.  In 
the  loveliest  city  of  the  world,  in  the  midst  of  orange 
trees  and  oaks  with  all  Rome  in  view,  every  morn- 
ing I  shall  set  myself  to  work,  between  the  deathbed 
and  the  tomb  of  the  poet,  and  I  shall  invoke  the 
genius  of  glory  and  of  misfortune." 


130  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

"Rome,  Saturday,  3  January,  1829. 

"I  renew  my  good  wishes  to  you  in  the  new  year, 
and  that  God  will  grant  you  a  long  life.  Never  for- 
get me;  I  have  hopes  since  you  have  remembered  your 
friends  Mathieu  de  Montmorency  and  Madame  de 
Stael  so  well.  Your  memory  is  as  good  as  is  your 
heart. 

"I  was  telling  Madame  Salvage  yesterday  that  I 
knew  nothing  in  this  world  as  lovely  and  noble  as  you. 

"I  passed  an  hour  in  the  company  of  the  Pope 
yesterday.  We  spoke  of  many  things;  some  of  these 
were  important  and  serious.  This  man  is  distin- 
guished and  brilliant  and  he  is  a  prince  full  of  dignity. 
Nothing  is  lacking  in  my  political  life  except  to  have 
had  business  relations  with  a  Pope.  This  completes 
my  career.  Do  you  wish  to  know  my  routine  with 
exactness?  I  rise  every  morning  at  five-thirty,  and 
I  have  my  breakfast  at  seven.  At  eight  o'clock  I 
am  busy  at  work  in  my  cabinet.  I  either  begin  the 
day  by  writing  to  you  or  attending  to  any  business 
that  comes  before  me  for  the  French  people,  especially 
for  the  poor,  and  this  work  is  urgent. 

"I  spend  two  or  three  hours  daily  wandering  among 
the  ruins  or  visit  St.  Peter's  or  the  Vatican.  Some- 
times I  make  a  necessary  call  before  or  after  my  walk. 
I  come  home  at  five  o'clock,  and  I  dress  for  the  evening. 
We  dine  at  six  o'clock  and  in  the  evening  we  have  a 
soiree  at  home  or  are  invited  out,  or  I  receive  a  few 
persons  on  urgent  business. 

"I  retire  at  eleven,  and  sometimes  I  walk  out  at  this 
hour  in  the  country,  nothwithstanding  the  thieves  and 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  131 

the  malaria.  What  do  I  do?  I  listen  to  the  silence, 
and  I  enjoy  watching  my  shadow  as  it  passes  from 
door  to  door,  or  along  the  aqueducts  lightened  by  the 
moon. 

"The  Romans  are  so  accustomed  to  my  methodical 
life  that  I  am  sure  they  can  map  them  off  by  the 
hours." 

"Rome,  Thursday,  8th  January,  1829. 

"I  am  very  unhappy,  the  loveliest  time  in  the  world 
we  have  passed  in  rain,  so  I  have  been  unable  to 
take  promenades.  This  has  been  the  only  happy 
moment  in  my  day.  I  have  thought  of  you  in  this 
deserted  country.  There  are  allied  in  my  sentiments 
the  future  and  the  past.  I  am  making  the  same  prom- 
enades, going  once  or  twice  a  week  in  the  quarters 
where  the  English  keep  themselves.  Who  remembers 
today  this  young  woman,  Miss  Bathurst?  Her  com- 
patriots gallop  along  the  river  without  giving  her  a 
thought.  The  Tiber  which  has  seen  so  many  things 
is  no  longer  embarrassed.  Moreover  the  floods  have 
begun  again,  they  are  now  turbulent — now  pale  and 
tranquil,  when  they  passed  this  creature  so  full  of 
life  and  of  beauty. 

" I  must  give  you  an  account 

of  my  last  Tuesday.  There  was  an  enormous  crowd 
at  the  embassy.  I  was  resting  with  my  back  placed 
against  a  marble  table.  An  English  woman  whom 
I  did  not  know  approached  me  and  said,  looking  at 
me  sharply,  'M.  Chateaubriand,  you  are  very  un- 
happy.' Astonished  by  this  remark  and  the  manner 
of  her  conversation  I  asked  her  what  she  meant  to 
imply.     She   answered   me,   'I    tell   you   that   you   are 


132  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

unhappy/  Saying  this  she  crossed  her  arms  and  was 
lost  in  the  crowd,  and  I  did  not  see  her  again  the  re- 
mainder of  the  evening.  This  strange  creature  was 
not  young  nor  pretty.  I  found  her  strange  because 
of  her  mysterious  words." 


Chapter  XI 
The  Tragedies  of  the  Convent 

"Rome,  Tuesday,  13th  January,   1829. 

jAST  evening  I  wrote  you  at  eight  o'clock, 
sSf  the  letter  that  M.  de  Viviers  will  bring 
you;  this  morning  on  waking  I  still  wrote 
to  you  sending  it  by  a  courier  who  goes  at 
noon.  You  know  the  poor  women  of  Saint 
Denis,  they  have  been  abandoned  since  the  arrival  of 
the  great  women  of  the  Trinite-du-Mont.  Without 
becoming  the  enemy  of  the  first  I  ranked  with  Madame 
Chateaubriand  on  the  side  of  the  weak.  For  a  month 
the  ladies  of  St.  Denis  wanted  to  give  a  fete  to  us,  they 
selected  noon  as  the  hour.  Imagine,  if  you  will,  a 
theatre  arranged  as  a  sacristy,  with  a  tribune.  For 
actors  we  had  a  dozen  little  girls  ranging  from  eight  to 
fourteen,  and  playing  Maccabees.  They  made  their  own 
caps  and  cloaks.  They  declaimed  their  French  verses 
with  a  fervor  and  a  funny  Italian  accent.  They 
stamped  their  feet  energetically  at  times.  One  was  a 
niece  of  Pius  VII,  one  Thorwaldsen's  daughter,  and  one 
was  the  daughter  of  Puvis  de  Chavnnes,  the  painter. 
They  were  extremely  pretty  in  their  simple  paper  frocks. 
'The  one  who  played  the  part  of  the  high-priest 
had  a  black  beard,  that  was  both  charming  and  odd, 
and  she  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  it  in  place  with 
her  small  white  hand. 

"For  our  audience  we  had  the  mothers  of  these 
children  and  some  of  the  sisters,  two  or  three  babes, 
and   some   twenty   young   boarders   with   white  veils. 

*33 


134  The  Life   of  Juliette  Recamier 

We  brought  cake  and  ice  cream  from  the  embassy. 
They  played  the  piano  between  the  acts.  Judging 
by  the  joy  this  fete  brought  to  the  convent,  pleasant 
memories  will  remain.  The  program  was  finished 
by  'Long  live  for  Eternity,'  sung  by  three  religious 
ones  in  the  church." 

"Rome,  Monday,  23rd  February,   1829. 

"Yesterday  the  obsequies  of  Pope  Leo  XII  came 
to  an  end.  The  pyramid  of  paper  and  the  four  cande- 
labras  were  beautiful,  because  they  were  large  and  in 
keeping  with  the  proportions  of  the  theatre.  The  last 
requiem  was  beautiful.  It  was  composed  by  a  man 
not  known  to  the  outside  world,  who  belonged  to  the 
Pope's  chapel.  He  seemed  to  have  a  genius  of  another 
kind  than  that  of  Rossini.  Today  we  are  passing  from 
sorrow  to  joy,  singing  Veni  Creator,  for  the  opening  of 
the  conclave.  We  are  looking  forward  to  the  com- 
ing event,  and  the  smoke  blows  in  a  certain  direction. 
The  day  when  there  is  no  smoke  the  Pope  will  be 
named,  and  I  shall  be  with  you  again,  that  is  at  the 
foundation  of  my  work." 

The  Villa  Medicis,  The  Fetes  at  Rome 

"I  have  given  balls  and  evenings  in  London  and 
in  Paris.  And  being  a  child  of  another  temperament 
I  found  that  I  enjoyed  solitude.  But  I  never  knew 
what  fetes  in  Rome  really  meant.  They  have  an 
antique  poetry  about  them  which  puts  death  on  the 
opposite  side  of  pleasure. 

"At  the  Villa  Medicis  there  were  gardens  already 
in   bloom   and   there   I   received   the   Grand   Duchess 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  135 

Helene;  the  setting  of  the  picture  was  lovely.  On 
one  side  was  the  Villa  Borghese  with  the  Raphael 
house.  On  the  other  the  villa  of  Monte-Mario  and 
the  sides  which  border  the  Tiber.  Below  the  specta- 
tor was  Rome  abandoned  like  a  black  eagle.  Amidst 
these  beauties,  the  descendants  of  Paula,  and  of  Cor- 
neilee,  of  Naples,  Florence  and  Milan,  the  Princess 
Helene  seemed  to  reign.  A  storm  came  down  from 
the  mountain  suddenly,  and  destroyed  the  tent  where 
the  festivities  were  held,  and  the  garlands  of  flowers, 
and  everything  looked  like  a  flooded  river.  The  em- 
bassy was  in  consternation.  I  do  not  know  what 
ironic  gayety  possessed  me  to  see  this  hurricane  that 
brought  me  such  joy.  The  evil  was  repaired  promptly; 
instead  of  dining  on  the  terrace  we  dined  inside. 
The  harmony  of  the  crashes  of  the  trees  and  the 
branches  thrown  down  by  the  wind,  suggested  the 
noise  of  the  American  forest.  The  groups  who  had 
been  playing  outside,  and  the  winds  that  had  played 
with  their  hair,  presented  curious  figures,  gave  a  new 
character  to  those  games  that  seemed  to  be  mixed 
with  storms,  and  demand  the  illusions  of  the  world. 
"I  have  great  pleasure  in  my  remembrances  of  the 
autumn,  when  in  evenings  I  saw  passing  me  the  women 
of  the  spring,  who  suggest  the  flowers,  the  concerts, 
and  the  lustre  of  my  successive  galleries.  These 
pictures  of  beauty,  of  diamonds,  of  flowers,  blend  to 
the  sound  of  Rossini  music,  which  repeat  and  blend 
with  the  orchestration.  Are  these  melodies  the  sug- 
gestions of  those  songs  I  heard  in  the  swamps  of  Florida, 
or  those  I  heard  in  the  temples  at  Athens?  Is  it  simi- 
lar to  that  sung  by  the  ocean?     My  sylph  is  perhaps 


136  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

hidden  in  the  form  of  some  lovely  Italian.  My  dryad 
is  still  wandering  over  the  prairies,  where  I  spoke  to 
her.  I  am  a  stranger  to  the  society  by  which  I  am 
now  surrounded,  and  perhaps  there  comes  from  this 
experience  a  pride  which  mounts  to  my  head.  When 
I  wish  to  rest  I  go  to  St.  Peter's  or  to  the  Coliseum; 
then  the  little  dramas  of  life  are  forgotten,  and  in  this 
brusque  change  of  scene  there  is  the  sadness  of  my 
old  days." 

As  soon  as  Rene  returned  to  Paris  he  hurried  to 
the  Abbaye  au  Bois  to  see  Juliette,  and  from  this 
moment  their  friendship  unfolded  through  the  years 
until  it  developed  on  his  part  into  a  love  based  on  the 
highest  and  purest   affection. 

Her  adopted  niece  was  at  Toulon  superintending 
her  new  home  while  her  husband  was  travelling  in 
Greece.  Their  absence  made  a  great  gap  in  Juliette's 
life,  and  she  was  glad  to  have  Rene's  company.  Juliette 
comments  on  his  success  in  Rome,  writing  to  M. 
Lenormant  that  the  king  was  delighted  with  Rene's 
work  in  Rome  and  wants  him  to  return  shortly.  His 
health  felt  the  need  of  relaxation  after  his  arduous 
work  so  he  decided  to  take  a  cure  in  the  Pyrenees. 
Before  leaving  he  announced  a  reading  of  his  last  work, 
Moise.  Lafond  of  the  Comedie  Francaise  was  asked 
to  read  it.  Juliette  gave  her  salon  for  this  reading. 
Juliette  had  moved  from  the  third  floor  to  the  first 
and  the  rooms  were  more  spacious  for  this  venture. 
Lafond  did  not  give  the  time  to  the  preparation  of 
the  reading  he  should  and  the  venture  fell  flat.  This 
was  a  great  disappointment  to  Juliette  and  to  Chateau- 
briand also,  for  she  had  invited  the  haute-monde  and 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  137 

the  savants  alike  and  they  looked  for  this  event  as 
his  crowning  literary  glory.  Chateaubriand  went  to 
take  the  water  at  Cauterests  and  she,  with  her  ever 
faithful  friend,  Ballanche,  went  to  Dieppe. 

During  all  this  time  Chateaubriand  was  opposed 
to  the  Polignac  ministry;  the  Prince  of  Polignac  had 
been  given  this  office  by  Charles  X.  Juliette  Re- 
camier and  some  other  of  Chateaubriand's  friends 
knew  how  he  felt  about  the  Polignacs  and  feared  he 
might  resign  from  politics  altogether.  While  Cha- 
teaubriand was  in  an  upheaval  about  this  affair,  the 
ever  faithful  and  sweet-natured  Ballanche  was  trav- 
eling with  Juliette,  and  was  finishing  his  Palingenesis 
and  thinking  about  his  next  work  Zenobie.  About  this 
time,  Merimee,  the  writer,  was  eager  to  enter  the 
political  arena  and  he  urged  Juliette  to  exert  her  in- 
fluence to  get  him  some  political  position.  The  Duke 
de  Laval  had  lost  his  embassy  in  Rome,  but  through 
the  influence  of  Chateaubriand  he  was  given  the  Lon- 
don office,  and  Juliette  hoped  that  Merimee  could 
get  some  London  post. 

During  the  winter  of  1829-30  Juliette  came  back 
to  Paris.  Though  the  Liberals  and  the  Royalists  were 
always  represented  in  her  salon,  there  were  more  lib- 
erals there  than  ever  before.  Her  friends  attributed 
this  to  the  influence  of  Ballanche  and  Chateaubriand. 
There  were  a  number  of  new  savants  introduced  to 
her  salon,  among  them  Quinet — who  was  writing  a 
book  on  modern  Greece.  He  had  as  assistant,  Germaine 
de  Stael  some  years  before,  when  he  was  translating 
Herder — and  he  was  delighted  with  her  brilliant  mind, 
but  he  was  delighted  with  Juliette's  charm  and  beauty, 


138  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

and  especially  by  the  fact  that  she  was  willing  to 
pardon  his  ugliness.  Victor  Hugo  at  this  moment  was 
producing  Hernani  and  some  of  his  early  plays,  and 
he  took  time  to  visit  Juliette's  salon.  He  went  one 
step  further  and  sent  her  box-stall  tickets  for  the 
opening  night  of  Hernani.  Sainte  Beauve,  suggesting 
a  Roman  senator  or  philosopher  with  his  high  sloping 
forehead  and  strong  Roman  nose,  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  the  salon  and  has  left  some  interesting 
studies  of  the  savants  seen  there  as  well  as  of  its 
charming  hostess. 

He  describes  the  salons  of  the  time  in  the  following 
words,  "The  room  into  which  I  was  introduced  to 
Madame  Recamier  was  on  the  first  floor.  It  was 
large  and  there  were  two  small  rooms  adjoining.  The 
light  was  kept  out  by  two  thick  curtains,  and  at  times 
it  was  quite  impossible  to  distinguish  anything  when 
you  first  entered  the  rooms.  I  saw  some  people  when 
they  came  in  greeting  Ballanche,  whom  they  mistook 
in  the  darkness  for  Juliette  Recamier.  The  recep- 
tion hours  were  from  four  to  six.  Sometimes  there 
were  a  great  many  invitations  for  that  hour  but  then 
it  was  for  a  lecture  or  music." 

Chateaubriand  usually  made  his  visit  about  two  in 
the  afternoon,  driving  or  walking  to  the  Abbaye  as 
his  strength  permitted.  He  was  getting  feeble,  his 
hair  had  become  white,  and  his  legs  were  weak. 
Ampere  when  he  came  back  from  Rome  had  not  seen 
him  in  some  time.  He  was  surprised  to  find  such  a 
great  change  in  Rene  and  he  took  his  trembling  hands. 
He  said  that  he  spoke  to  him  of  the  eternal  city,  of 
the  crowds  and  the  coliseum  and  the  bouquet  of  trees 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  139 

approaching  St.  John.  In  spite  of  increasing  feeble- 
ness Rene  recalled  clearly  the  open  vista  of  the  coun- 
try; he  recalled  everything,  his  promenades,  and  many 
an  amusing  incident. 

No  one  was  allowed  between  the  hours  of  two  and 
four  when  Chateaubriand  read  aloud  to  Juliette  from 
one  or  another  of  his  works.  The  increasing  years 
had  not  robbed  her  of  any  of  her  beauty,  she  still  had 
that  charming  smile  and  manner,  and  lovely  pink  and 
white  complexion.  Though  she  confessed  to  him  and 
to  others  she  knew  that  she  was  no  longer  beautiful 
because  the  street  gamins  refused  even  to  look  at  her. 
She  had  a  defect  in  her  eyes;  cataracts  were  forming 
over  the  pupils  gradually  making  her  almost  blind. 
She  said  God  was  good  to  her  to  hide  the  increasing 
ugliness  of  herself  from  her  eyes.  During  this  trying 
affliction  she  remained  most  patient,  and  though  she 
had  several  operations,  final  blindness  was  sure  to  be 
the  outcome  of  her  suffering.  Occasionally  she  called  on 
Chateaubriand  and  other  of  her  friends,  but  more  often 
they  came  to  her  salons. 

At  four  o'clock  when  she  received,  the  doors  were 
thrown  open.  Chateaubriand  remained  when  his 
friends  Ballanche  or  Ampere  read  from  his  Memoirs, 
or  when  he  became  interested  in  something  Balzac 
or  Victor  Hugo  had  to  offer.  As  Sainte  Beuve  says, 
"Those  who  came  usually  found  the  great  man  sitting 
on  the  left  side  of  the  mantelpiece  and  Madame  Re- 
camier on  the  right.  A  few  habitual  friends  came  every 
day  and  other  visitors  dropped  in  during  the  after- 
noon. They  spoke  in  a  low  voice  as  if  there  were  some 
sick  person  in  the  room.     If  a  loud  word  was  heard 


140  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

it  came  as  a  surprise  as  if  they  would  say,  'Which  of 
these  badly  brought  up  persons  is  not  worthy  of  our 
society?'  At  these  meetings  Juliette  was  always 
dressed  in  white,  and  was  comfortably  seated  in  a 
large  armchair." 

Mr.  Lenormant  officiated  at  many  of  these  meetings 
and  he  was  a  perfect  reader.  There  was  nothing 
Chateaubriand  enjoyed  more  than  to  have  him  read 
from  his  works.  Occasionally  Chateaubriand  noticed 
a  few  tears  steal  down  the  cheeks  of  some  of  the  audi- 
ence and  this  was  the  greatest  tribute  one  could  pay 
his  work. 

About  this  time  M.  Recamier  died.  When  he 
was  taken  ill  he  made  the  request  to  be  taken  to  the 
Abbaye.  This  wish  was  granted  and  Juliette  nursed 
him  through  his  entire  sickness.  When  he  died  she 
told  her  friends,  "I  had  the  feeling  that  I  had  lost 
my  father  for  a  second  time." 

While  Juliette  was  at  Dieppe  many  of  her  friends 
visited  her.  Chateaubriand  paid  her  a  visit  while 
she  was  on  her  holiday.  Ballanche  and  David  always 
constituted  a  party  of  two,  and  the  holiday  was  bene- 
fitting Madame  Recamier  greatly  when  the  news  of 
the  events  of  July  reached  her.  Terrified  at  what 
might  happen,  anxious  about  her  niece,  and  M. 
Chateaubriand  who  had  left  Dieppe  on  the  27th,  she 
set  out  on  the  following  day  and  arrived  at  Paris  on 
the  30th. 

Her  astonishment  was  great  when  she  found  that 
she  was  obliged  to  walk  from  the  Faubourg  St.  Denis, 
on  foot,  accompanied  by  her  maid  and  Mr.  Ampere 
who  came  back  with  her.     They  walked  about  three 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  141 

miles  through  barricades,  some  of  them  eight  feet 
high,  unpaved  streets,  narrow  and  crooked,  full  of 
holes,  pushing  their  way  through  rough  crowds,  with 
men  and  women  standing  about  idly  everywhere.  She 
noticed  all  the  shops  were  closed  and  there  was  not  a 
cart  or  horse  on  the  street.  The  young  men  of  the 
Abbaye  took  sides  with  the  Liberal  Party,  but  such 
men  as  M.  Lenormant  were  not  against  the  Bourbons 
altogether.  As  ever,  Juliette  was  arbiter  and  listened 
to  both  sides  patiently. 

After  publishing  his  pamphlet  called  "De  la  Res- 
tauration  et  de  la  Monarchic  elective,"  Chateaubriand 
took  his  wife  for  a  holiday  to  Switzerland.  The  letters 
he  wrote  from  Switzerland  to  Juliette  and  to  other  of 
his  friends  were  afterwards  collected  in  the  10th  vol- 
ume of  Memoires  d'Outre  Tombe.  Before  the  Revolu- 
tion was  over  Charles  X  went  into  exile  and  Louis 
Phillipe  was  proclaimed  King  of  France.  During  this 
time,  Juliette  received  a  few  letters  from  her  old  lover, 
Prince  Augustus,  who  kept  her  posted  about  the  po- 
litical condition  in  Germany.  During  these  trying 
days  in  France,  Benjamin  Constant  passed  away. 
Though  Juliette  and  some  of  his  other  friends  had 
not  always  approved  of  his  methods  they  respected 
the  man's  genius. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  1831,  Juliette  Recamier 
had  a  bad  cough.  Her  salon  was  closed  for  a  while 
and  her  friends  were  concerned  about  her  health. 
Rene  de  Chateaubriand  and  Ballanche  were  seen 
walking  constantly  in  the  court  of  the  Abbaye.  They 
did  not  venture  to  ring  lest  she  should  find  out  that 
they  were  anxious.     Rene  with  his  white,  silky  hair 


142  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

blowing  about  in  the  cold  wintry  wind,  was  the  very- 
image  of  despair  and  formed  a  striking  picture. 

The  following  notes  show  how  anxious  Chateau- 
briand was  during  this  time: 

"November  4th. 

"I  bring  this  note  to  your  door.  I  was  so  struck 
with  terror  when  I  was  not  admitted  yesterday  that 
I  thought  you  were  leaving  me.  Remember  it  is  I — 
who  want  to  go  first." 

And  again: 

"Never  speak  of  what  will  become  of  me  without 
you.  I  have  not  been  so  wicked  in  the  sight  of  God 
that  I  should  survive  you.  I  see  with  joy  that  I  am 
ill.  I  fainted  yesterday,  which  made  me  weaker.  I 
shall  bless  God  for  this,  if  you  will  not  mind  my  life 
is  in  your  hand." 

The  doctors  ordered  her  to  the  south,  but  she  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  leave  Chateaubriand  alone. 

Her  delight  was  great  on  returning  to  her  former 
life.  He  went  to  her  every  day  at  two-thirty  and 
read  to  Juliette  whatever  work  he  was  writing.  They 
talked  it  over  together  and  she  gave  him  her  frank 
advice.  None  of  her  guests  were  then  admitted  be- 
fore four.  The  most  regular  were  the  Duke  de  Laval 
and  Duke  Doudeauville,  both  different  examples  of 
the  old  grand  French  seigneurs.  One  day  when  the 
Duke  de  Laval  was  recapitulating  what  the  revolu- 
tion in  1830  had  cost,  he  added:  "France  has  spent 
all  this  to  get  rid  of  this  [meaning  the  nobility]  at  a 
cost."  Juliette  replied,  with  an  arch  look:  "Does 
not  France  think  she  paid  too  dear  for  it?" 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  143 

When  a  new  book  appeared  of  any  value,  it  was  read 
and  discussed  and  the  author  often  asked  to  be  pre- 
sented. Tete-a-tetes  in  a  low  voice  were  discour- 
aged altogether.  If  any  of  the  habitues  took  this 
liberty  they  received  a  gentle  chiding  after  the  other 
guests  were  gone. 

Juliette  always  sat  on  one  side  of  the  fireplace,  the 
others  round  in  a  circle.  Whoever  had  an  observa- 
tion to  make,  contributed  it  to  the  common  stock.  If 
anyone  in  the  circle  was  suspected  of  having  any  special 
knowledge  he  was  appealed  to  with  an  air  of  deference. 

On  one  occasion,  one  of  the  ladies  complained  to 
another  of  having  lost  the  thread  of  the  discourse 
and  the  comment  was  made  to  Juliette  that  no  doubt 
this  came  from  timidity.  "When  people  are  too  timid," 
she  answered,  "to  speak  up,  they  should  be  modest 
enough   to  listen." 

Another  characteristic  of  this  salon  was  the  aim  to 
keep  to  one  subject.  After  Juliette  Recamier  moved 
into  the  more  spacious  apartment  known  as  the  cellule, 
she  held  musicales  once  a  week.  On  one  occasion, 
Rachel,  the  great  tragedian,  recited  a  part  of  Esther 
for  charitv. 

Jean  Jacques  Ampere  was  the  life  of  the  Abbaye 
and  largely  on  account  of  his  wit.  He  was  the  most 
entertaining,  the  most  courted  man,  whom  every  bril- 
liant woman  was  glad  to  have  in  her  salon. 

The  Duke  de  Noailles  and  Balzac  had  now  become 
constant  habitues  of  her  salon — but  George  Sand 
made  the  bold  statement  that  she  had  never  accepted 
any  invitations  to  the  Abbaye.  Sainte  Beuve  speaking 
of  the  salon  in  her  later  years,  said:     "What  she  did 


144  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

one  day  in  her  salon  she  accomplished  day  after  day. 
In  her  cellule  she  thought  of  everyone,  and  she  gave 
everyone  the  sympathy  needed,  she  sacrificed  none 
but  herself.  Never  a  talent,  a  virtue  was  lost;  she 
recognized  every  distinction;  she  was  willing  to  rec- 
ognize every  merit,  and  bring  it  to  light.  She  de- 
sired to  place  everyone  in  his  right  relation  there- 
fore creating  a  perfect  harmony  about  her,  and  thus 
subordinated  them  to  her."  She  surely  had  her  am- 
bitions, but  they  were  worthy  ones,  especially  when 
men  and  women  of  genius  were  concerned.  She  was 
willing  to  give  her  time  and  attention  to  the  most 
obscure.  It  was  her  nature  to  be  at  one  and  the  same 
time  universal  and  very  particular  and  she  attracted 
all  and  still  had  the  privilege  of  choosing. 

Her  choice  was  unique,  for  Chateaubriand  was  her 
choice  for  the  last  twenty  years;  he  was  the  center 
of  the  world;  the  great  interest  in  her  last  years.  And 
still  she  never  sacrificed,  only  subordinated  others  to 
him.  Chateaubriand  had  his  antipathies,  his  aversions 
and  even  his  bitterness;  all  this  is  stated  plainly  in 
his  Memoires  d'Outre  Tombe.  She  tempered  all  this, 
and  corrected  small  faults  in  others.  She  was  ingenious 
in  getting  others  to  speak  when  he  wished  to  be  silent. 
She  had  kind  things  said  to  him,  and  to  others:  one  of 
her  ambitions  was  to  give  refreshing  praise  to  others. 
She  justified  herself  in  the  words  of  Bernadin  de  St. 
Pierre:  "In  this  woman  there  was  a  natural  gayety, 
which  dissipates  men's  sadness.  She  played  the  part 
of  a  sister  of  charity  of  their  faults,  their  weakness 
and   their   failings." 

Juliette  wrote  little,  though  the  great  men  of  her 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  145 

time  knew  that  she  expressed  herself  easily  and  well 
both  in  writing  and  in  speaking.  She  had  a  natural 
charm,  and  a  keen  sense  of  humor  that  made  her  con- 
versation worth  while.  Better  still  she  was  a  delight- 
ful listener.  She  questioned  everything  with  inter- 
est, and  listened  to  all  explanations  with  unusual  in- 
telligence, caused  by  harmonious  surroundings. 

"Wednesday,  18th  May,  1831. 

"I  spent  my  day  yesterday  wandering  on  the  border 
of  the  Rhone.  I  looked  at  the  city,  the  place  where 
you  were  born.  The  hill  where  stood  the  convent 
where  you  had  been  chosen  as  the  most  beautiful  of 
women,  a  hope  which  you  have  not  brought  to  dis- 
appointment, and  you  are  not  here,  and  the  years 
have  passed,  and  you  were  exiled  in  your  youth,  and 
Madame  de  Stael  is  dead,  and  I  leave  France. 

"From  these  ancient  times  a  singular  person  has 
appeared  to  me.  I  send  you  his  note  because  of  the 
surprise  it  caused  me.  This  person  whom  I  have 
never  seen  plants  pines  in  the  mountains  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Lyons. 

"A  neighbor  in  your  country,  who  has  no  other  title 
to  offer  you  but  one  of  deep  admiration,  desires  the 
honor  of  seeing  you  and  presenting  his  homage 
and   respect.     This   neighbor   is   called   Ellevion." 

From  Geneva  on  the  18th  of  June,  he  wrote  the 
following  letter: 

"You  have  received  all  my  letters.  I  am  waiting 
impatiently  for  some  word  from  you.  I  am  positive 
that  no  answer  is  coming,  but  still  am  disappointed 
when  I  get  the  journals.    No  one  in  this  world  except 


146  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

you  is  interested  in  me,  and  this  is  a  real  delight.  I 
love  your  solitary  letters  which  I  do  not  get  as  I  did 
at  the  time  of  my  splendour,  in  the  midst  of  parcels, 
dispatches  and  all  these  letters  of  affection,  admira- 
tion, sycophancy  which  disappears  with  fortune.  After 
your  short  letters  you  will  come  to  me  if  I  do  not  de- 
cide to  come  to  you. 

"You  will  be  the  one  to  sell  my  small  estate.  The 
price  of  the  amount  will  enable  you  to  travel  to  warmer 
climates. 

"The  weather  is  splendid  just  now.  In  writing  to 
you  I  see  Mont  Blanc  in  all  its  splendors  where  one 
can  see  the  Apennines.  It  seems  that  I  shall  only 
have  three  steps  to  make  to  reach  Rome,  where  we 
will  go  when  everything  is  arranged  in  France.  Our 
glorious  country,  after  having  passed  through  all  its 
misery,  only  lacked  this  bad  government  which  it 
now  has  and  our  youth  will  be  buried  in  dogma,  litera- 
ture and  debauchery  as  it  will  adapt  itself  to  individ- 
uals. There  is  only  one  chapter  left  to  me  now,  that 
of  accidents.  But  when  persons  linger  as  I  do  on  the 
way  of  life,  the  more  probable  accident  is  that  of  the 
end  of  the  journey. 

"I  do  not  work,  I  can  do  nothing.  I  am  tired.  It 
is  my  nature  to  be  thus  and  I  am  like  a  fish  out  of 
water." 

Rene  and  his  wife  made  an  extensive  trip  through 
Switzerland  in  September  of  1832.  He  went  from 
Lucerne  to  Constant,  Zurich  and  Winterthur.  There 
he  recalled  Lavater,  Geissler  and  that  Napoleon  and 
his  captains  came  with  Russian  prisoners  through 
there  on  the  way  to  Paris. 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  147 

The  cholera  was  spreading  through  France  rapid- 
ly. Juliette  Recamier  had  the  superstition  that  she 
might  be  seized  with  cholera.  She  spent  some  time 
with  the  Queen  of  Holland  at  her  lovely  chateau  built 
by  her  on  a  high  rock.  The  Duchess  of  Saint  Leu  and 
her  son,  Louis  Napoleon,  were  lovely  to  Juliette.  Be- 
fore leaving  she  visited  Rene  and  his  wife. 

Chateaubriand  tells  of  one  of  these  visits  in  the 
fifth  volume  of  his  Memoires  in  these  words:  "In 
the  valley,  near  Lake  Constance,  our  holiday  was 
gay.  It  was  as  if  a  wedding  feast  was  going  on.  We 
disembarked  at  the  end  of  the  lake,  and  traversed 
the  neck  of  the  Rhone  where  the  river  flowed  through 
the  valley  as  through  a  park. 

"We  walked  about  through  the  park  and  seated 
ourselves  on  a  bench  near  the  river.  From  the  pavil- 
ion we  heard  the  strains  of  a  harp  and  we  commenced 
to  listen.  It  sounded  like  a  fairy  story.  I  read  to 
Juliette  my  description  of  Saint  Gothard  and  she 
begged  me  to  write  something  on  the  tablet.  Al- 
ready I  had  a  suggestion  from  J.  J.  Rousseau.  What 
I  hoped  to  find  on  the  Lake  of  Lucerne  I  have  found 
on  the  Lake  of  Constance,  charm  and  intelligence  of 
beauty. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  die  as  did  Rousseau.  I  wish  to  live 
a  long  time  yet,  and  to  enjoy  the  sunshine  of  the  place. 
To  spend  my  last  days  at  your  feet,  and  to  listen  to 
the  music  of  these  waters. 

Chateaubriand." 

After  her  visit  with  Chateaubriand,  Juliette  went 
back  through  Wolfsberg  and  Berne.     She  stopped  at 


148  The  Life  of  Juliette  Recamier 

Coppet  to  visit  Germaine  de  Stael's  resting  place  and 
that  of  her  child  and  of  her  parents.  Juliette  was  the 
only  one  permitted  to  visit  the  private  vault.  Just  as 
Rene  afterwards  gathered  his  Swiss  travels  into  a 
volume  of  his  memoires,  Juliette  Recamier  has  nar- 
rated the  pleasure  of  this  trip  in  letters  which  were 
written  to  J.  J.  Ampere  and  to  Ballanche.  She  loved 
all  Switzerland  and  found  Lugano  a  perfect  fairyland. 

Juliette  returned  to  Paris  first  and  Chateaubriand 
soon  followed.  They  were  all  happy  with  their  lovely 
associations  of  their  holiday  when  Rene  was  arrested 
as  a  suspect  for  being  friends  with  Madame  du  Barry, 
who  was  also  held. 

He  narrates  this  incident  in  this  letter: 

"Paris,  Street  Inferno,  the  end  of  July,  1832. 

"One  of  my  old  friends,  M.  Frisell,  an  Englishman, 
lost  at  Passy  his  only  daughter,  a  girl  of  17.  On  the 
19th  of  June  I  went  to  her  burial.  The  pretty  Elisa 
was  having  her  portrait  painted  when  she  was  snatched 
away  from  her  parent.  Coming  back  in  solitude  to 
the  street  Inferno  I  was  filled  with  memories  of  that 
charming  young  girl.  I  was  awakened  at  four  in  the 
morning.  Baptiste,  my  servant,  told  me  that  police- 
men had  been  placed  at  my  doors  and  in  the  court- 
yard. As  he  spoke  these  words,  three  men  came  in 
with  words  of  explanation.  They  explained  that  I 
was  to  be  put  under  arrest  by  the  order  of  the  Prefect 
of  Police.  I  asked  them  if  it  was  sunrise  and  if  they 
brought  a  legal  document.  They  refused  to  discuss 
the  sunrise,  but  presented  papers  for  my  arrest." 

Finally,  Madame  du  Barry  and  Chateaubriand  were 
acquitted  from  any  intrigues. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  149 

Once  more  Juliette  Recamier's  weekly  salon  was 
thrown  open  to  the  reading  of  Chateaubriand's  Me- 
moire  d'Outre  Tombe.  Though  she  was  not  feeling 
strong,  and  complained  a  great  deal  about  her  sight 
she  was  still  lovely  to  look  at.  The  pinkish  bloom  was 
no  longer  on  her  cheeks,  but  her  complexion  was  still 
that  pearly  white.  The  lustre  was  gone  from  her 
eyes,  but  more  than  ever  her  petaled  lips  had  that 
smile  born  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness. 

Chateaubriand's  square  figure  was  shrinking  with 
age.  His  blue  eyes  were  still  cold,  especially  in  repose. 
But  they  were  filled  with  animation  when  he  was 
interested.  His  nostrils,  wide  and  strong,  gave  a  look 
of  strength  to  his  face.  His  voice  was  soft  and  ryth- 
mical. It  was  this  mellowness  and  brilliancy  of  coloring 
in  his  voice  that  made  him  a  poet  and  a  magician. 

Chateaubriand  was  now  hard  at  work  on  his  life 
memoires,  later  published  in  ten  volumes.  The  read- 
ing of  this  important  work  commenced  at  the  Abbaye 
in  1834.  Most  of  the  literary  men  and  women  in 
Paris  at  the  time,  considered  this  work  favorably.  It 
was  not  all  read  at  one  time,  but  was  scattered  during 
the  next  few  years. 

The  description  about  the  trip  into  Switzerland  was 
one  of  the  chapters  that  won  great  applause. 

"Alps  lower  your  head.  I  am  no  longer  worthy  of 
you.  To  make  the  most  of  you  I  should  be  young, 
but  I  am  old  and  solitary.  I  can  yet  describe  you  but 
to  what  purpose?  Who  would  be  interested  in  these 
word  pictures?  What  other  arms  excepting  those  of 
time  will  rally  to  me,  and  embrace  my  genius  with 
bared   head?     Who   would   repeat   my   songs?     What 


150  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

muse  would  I  inspire  ?  Under  the  dome  of  my  years 
and  under  those  snow  covered  mountains  which  sur- 
round me.  Not  a  single  sunbeam  will  come  to  warm 
me.  What  a  pity  to  linger  on  the  mountains  with 
tired  steps  which  no  one  would  care  to  follow.  What 
a  misfortune  that  I  should  only  be  able  to  linger  again 
at  the  end  of  my  life." 

1  o'clock. 

"My  boat  stopped  before  the  landing  of  a  house  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  lake  before  the  Bay  of  Uri.  I 
went  up  through  the  garden  of  this  inn,  and  sat  down 
under  two  walnut  trees,  that  shelter  a  stable.  Before 
me,  a  little  on  the  right,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
lake,  could  be  seen  the  village  of  Switz,  among  the 
gardens  and  the  plains  used  for  pasturage,  called  Alps 
in  this  country.  It  was  surmounted  by  broken  rocks 
in  a  semi-circle  whose  two  peaks,  called  the  Mythen 
and  the  Haken,  the  mitre  and  the  cross,  thus  called 
because  of  their  form.  These  rough  prints  rest  on 
the  base  of  the  rock,  as  the  crown  of  rough  Helvetian 
independence  rests  on  the  head  of  the  shepherd  people. 

"The  silence  about  me  was  interrupted  by  the 
sounds  of  the  bells  on  two  cows,  which  were  left  in 
the  next  fold.  They  seemed  to  sound  the  glory  of 
pastoral  liberty  with  which  Switzerland  gave  with  her 
name  to  a  whole  people.  A  small  canton  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Naples,  called  Italia  has  likewise,  but  with 
less  sacred  meaning  given  its  name  to  the  whole 
Roman  territory." 

3  o'clock. 

"We  enter  the  gulf  or  lake  of  Uri.  The  mountains 
are  steeper  and   become  sombre.     Here   appears   the 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  151 

grassy  group  of  Grutti  where  Furst  an  des  Halden  and 
Stauffaches  took  the  oath  to  deliver  their  country. 
Here  at  the  feet  of  Achsenberg  is  the  Chapel  which 
marks  the  spot  where  Tell,  jumping  out  of  Gessler's 
boat,  pushed  it  back  into  the  waves. 

"But  did  Tell  and  his  companions  ever  live?  Are 
they  perhaps  only  myths  of  the  Nord,  born  of  the 
songs  of  the  Scaldes  and  whose  heroic  traditions  are 
found  on  the  banks  of  Sweden?  Are  the  Swiss  of 
today  the  same  as  they  were  at  the  time  of  their 
struggle  for  independence?  Do  I  myself  believe  that 
Tell  and  his  companions  climbed  from  rock  to  rock 
in  the  paths  that  had  been  made  by  wolves? 

"Very  fortunately  a  thunderstorm  overtook  me. 
We  took  shelter  under  a  cove  at  a  short  distance  from 
Tell's  chapel;  it  is  always  the  same  God  who  raises 
the  winds  and  the  confidence  in  the  same  God  that 
gives  courage  to  men.  In  other  times  crossing  the 
ocean,  the  lakes  of  America,  the  seas  of  Greece  and  of 
Syria  I  wrote  on  a  damp  paper.  The  clouds,  the 
waves,  the  rolling  of  the  thunder  ally  themselves  and 
are  making  nobler  remembrance  of  that  ancient  liberty 
of  the  Alps  than  the  voice  of  that  effeminate  and 
degenerate  nature  which  my  century  has  given  to  me. 

"Stopping  at  Fluelen,  I  arrived  at  Altdorf,  but  lack- 
ing horses  I  had  to  stay  over  night  at  the  foot  of 
Bannberg.  Here  William  Tell  shot  the  apple  from 
his  son's  head.  The  stretch  of  the  bow  was  at  the 
distance  which  separates  the  two  fountains.  Let  us 
believe  it,  and  let  us  have  faith  in  religion  and  liberty 
the  two  great  things  man  owns,  for  glory  and  power 
are  dazzling,  not  great. 


152  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

"Tomorrow,  from  the  height  of  St.  Gothard,  I  shall 
salute  the  new  Italy  as  I  have  saluted  it  from  the 
summit  of  the  Simplon  and  Mt.  Cenis.  But  what 
good  is  it  to  me  to  cast  a  glance  on  the  regions  of  the 
sunshine  and  aurora? 

"The  pine  of  the  North  cannot  descend  among  the 
oranges  that  one  sees  at  the  foot  in  the  flowering 
valleys." 

Most  of  the  letters  which  Rene  had  written  to 
Juliette  while  in  Rome  were  collected  and  put  in  Part 
III  of  his  Memoires.  These  Memoires  met  with  that 
success  which  Chateaubriand  had  hoped  for  his  Moise. 
The  Memoire  on  the  Imprisonment  of  Madame  du 
Barry  appeared  about  this  time,  and  was  welcomed 
with  praise. 

During  the  same  year  Chateaubriand  made  a  trip 
to  Italy,  but  Juliette  Recamier  kept  her  salon  open, 
with  musicales,  readings  for  charity.  During  Chateau- 
briand's absence,  Ampere  was  the  life  of  the  salon. 
His  wit  kept  the  ladies  laughing.  One  of  the  most 
brilliant  evenings  took  place  when  Rachel,  the  great 
actress,  recited  part  of  Queen  Esther  for  charity. 

Delecluze  was  another  one  of  the  literary  men  who 
was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  use  her  salon  for  some 
readings.  He  was  publishing  "David,  son  ecole  et 
son  temps,"  and  read  the  first  few  of  the  chapters 
there.  St.  Beuve  was  writing  a  biographical  notice 
of  the  Academy.  He  now  became  a  regular  visitor  at 
the  Abbaye. 

When  Chauteaubriand  was  not  entertaining  Juliette 
Recamier's  guests  reading  from  his  memoires,  Lamar- 
tine   often   went   to   the   Abbaye   and   read   from   his 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  153 

Meditations.  Among  the  guests  who  listened  to 
Lamartine  were  le  due  de  Noailles,  J.  J.  Ampere, 
Victor  Hugo,  Charles  Lenormand,  Ozanam,  Eugene 
Delacroix  and  Charles  Lenormant. 

St.  Beuve  says  of  Lamartine's  visit,  "The  other  day 
I  was  at  Madame  Recamier's,  and  with  her  usual 
custom  she  spoke  the  first  word.  'I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  reading  your  works,  so  has  M.  Chateau- 
briand and  he  is  delighted  with  it.'  But  Chateaubriand 
was  determined  to  remain  silent,  he  never  said  a  word. 
He  put  his  handkerchief  to  his  mouth  and  held  it 
between  his  teeth  as  was  his  custom  when  he  did  not 
wish  to  speak.  Juliette  went  on  to  compliment  him 
on  his  style.  This  style  was  what  I  gave  most  thought 
to,  he  said.  After  some  moments  conversation  on 
that  point,  he  got  up  to  leave,  amused  by  Chateau- 
briand's attitude." 

Another  time,  Madame  Recamier  spoke  about  animal 
magnetism,  on  catalepsy  and  somnambulism.  There 
were  some  wonderful  examples  being  cited  when 
Chateaubriand  said:  "I  am  always  anxious  to  get 
experiences  along  this  line,  but  I  have  never  been 
able.  I  guess  that  I  must  be  of  coarse  fibre."  Then 
he  went  on  to  say  that  he  tried  to  believe  in  God  and 
in  Christianity  until  the  devil  put  him  into  real  doubt. 

While  working  on  his  ten  volumes  of  his  memoires 
and  reading  from  them  at  one  time  and  another,  he 
brought  out  his  Essay  on  English  Literature,  his 
History  of  the  Congress  of  Verona,  and  one  of  his 
great  successes,  the  translation  of  Milton.  He 
wrote  to  Ballanche  in  1836  that  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  walking  about  the  boulevards,  deep  in  thought 


154  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

and  spending  some  two  or  three  hours  every  day  at 
the  Abbaye. 

His  wife  was  ill  and  away  from  Paris  for  her  health, 
so  Rene  went  to  live  at  the  Infirmary  of  Marie  Therese, 
a  cloister. 

During  1839  Juliette  kept  her  salon  open,  largely 
for  the  readings  given  by  Chateaubriand  and  St. 
Beuve,  who  was  now  a  frequent  visitor  and  often  he 
read  from  his  works,  especially  from  the  literary 
history  of  France  before  the  12th  Century  and  also 
from  his  work  on  Ampere.  But  during  the  early  part 
of  1840  she  had  trouble  with  her  throat  and  went  to 
Ems  for  treatment.  She  felt  the  absence  of  friends 
greatly,  for  Madame  Lenormant  was  in  the  country  with 
her  children,  Ballanche,  who  was  not  well,  was  visit- 
ing the  Countess  d'Hautefeuille,  while  Chateaubriand 
was  the  only  one  who  remained  in  Paris.  But  Juli- 
ette was  happy  to  be  able  to  go  back  to  Paris  after 
Ballanche  returned,  for  she  had  missed  his  society 
very  much.  She  was  delighted  when  her  lifelong 
friend  offered  himself  as  an  Academician  and  was 
accepted.  He  was  growing  old,  and  feeble,  and  his 
charming  nature  was  delighted  with  this  recognition 
of  his  scholarship. 

Ampere  went  traveling  for  his  holidays,  and  Chateau- 
briand went  to  the  Pyrenees  to  take  a  cure.  On  his 
way  back  he  visited  the  great  Chateau  of  Chambord 
and  wrote  to  Juliette  Recamier  that  he  was  delighted 
with  the  genius  of  Francois  I  in  the  building  of  the 
castle.  Then  he  made  a  trip  to  London  to  visit  a 
friend.  His  letters  from  there  were  friendly  and 
showed  that  he  missed  her.     A  sudden  coolness  seemed 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  155 

to  have  sprung  up  between  Mme.  Chateaubriand  and 
Juliette  Recamier.  Juliette  was  shocked  to  receive 
news  of  the  death  of  Prince  Augustus  of  Prussia.  It 
was  the  first  gap  in  her  circle  of  friends  other  than 
that  of  Germaine  de  Stael.  He  left  her  one  of  his 
portraits  by  Gerard  and  two  handsome  bronze  pieces 
he  had  in  his  study,  and  two  portraits  of  herself  that 
she  had  given  him. 

The  great  Humboldt,  who  was  in  love  with  her 
when  a  child,  renewed  this  friendship  by  writing  her 
many  letters.  Chateaubriand  came  back  to  Paris 
paralyzed  by  gout  and  his  visits  to  the  Abbaye  were 
interrupted. 

The  crowd  that  came  to  the  Abbaye  au  Bois  after 
1834  was  unusually  brilliant.  Besides  her  intimate 
friends  who  came  to  the  end  there  was  St.  Beuve, 
Merimee,  Balzac,  Victor  Hugo,  the  dramatist,  Ingres, 
the  artist,  Rossini,  the  composer,  and  Gerard,  the  painter. 

Mme.  de  Tesse  said  of  her:  "If  I  were  a  king  I  would 
order  her  to  speak  to  me  always.  I  would  have  said 
to  her,  'Look  at  me  always'."  She  had  above  all  else 
a  coquettish  amiability  which  is  woman's  decoration. 
An  evening  spent  at  the  Abbaye  was  more  for  an 
actress  than  ten  years  spent  studying  at  the  con- 
servatoire. 

While  Chateaubriand  was  traveling,  making  a  long 
visit  to  his  friend,  the  Comte  of  Chambord,  and 
Ampere  had  left  a  big  gap  in  the  salon  by  his  trip  to 
Egypt, Sainte  Beuve,  the  brilliant  writer,  took  the  center 
of  the  stage,  reading  a  chapter  on  Benjamin  Constant 
who  had  for  years  before  he  died,  been  the  friend  of 
Germaine  de  Stael  and  Juliette  Recamier. 


156  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

Sainte  Beuve's  critical  study  of  Benjamin  Constant 
was  received  with  great  interest  and  approval.  He 
concluded  it  in  some  such  words  as  these:  "He  took  a 
noble  attitude  of  a  tribune,  of  a  spiritual  writer  on 
religious  subject,  he  stood  for  the  civil  and  political 
rights  of  man,  and  he  fought  for  humanity  with  a  pen 
that  was  fine  and  in  eloquent  words.  But  his  opinions 
were  lacking  in  a  certain  established  consideration,  a 
certain  moral  consistency,  because  he  was  less  serious 
in  his  attitude  than  ware  many  men,  who  were  less 
brilliant  and  earnest.  He  spent  his  life  in  liberal 
politics  without  estimating  men,  and  professed  being 
religious  without  having  faith;  he  was  filled  with 
emotions  rather  than  with  any  one  great  passion  at 
any  one  time.  He  saw  the  humorous  side  in  the 
most  serious  moments;  the  vaudeville  and  the  parody 
were  always  in  his  mind's  eye  in  creating  a  great  work. 
He  often  said  that  truth  is  complete  only  when  one 
sees  the  other  side  of  the  question." 

Among  his  pen  portraits  was  one  of  Juliette  Recamier, 
in  which  he  said,  "She  possessed  real  charm,  which  by 
its  presence  softened  and  calmed  her  friends,  giving 
to  others  sweetness  and  graciousness.  She  softened 
them  a  little,  and  brought  out  the  best  in  them." 

It  was  in  her  salon  that  courtesy  prevailed,  but  also 
real  charity.  There  were  certain  things  she  did  not 
wish  to  see  and  they  did  not  exist  for  her.  There  was 
no  thought  of  evil  in  her  mind,  for  she  could  not  think 
in  those  terms.  Innocence  remained  in  her  soul,  she 
guarded  it  jealously  from  childhood.  Is  this  anything 
to  her  discredit?  Perhaps  there  was  another  strain  in 
her  life,  a  feeling  of  kindness  which  was  often  lacking 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  157 

in  others.  I  have  heard  people  ask  if  she  had  men- 
tality. It  seems  to  me  that  we  can  take  that  for 
granted.  She  did  not  have  that  mentality  that  burns 
for  itself,  but  which  feels  and  shows  the  mental  value 
of  others. 

She  wrote  little,  she  made  a  point  of  this  from  the 
time  she  was  a  child.  But  when  she  did  write  she 
expressed  herself  with  great  ease.  In  speaking,  she 
also  had  felicity  of  expression.  In  narrating  anything 
she  preferred  a  delicate  expression,  an  amiable  word, 
and  neglected  the  rest,  always  showing  good  taste. 

She  listened  with  ears  alert,  and  never  let  anything 
worth  while  pass  without  the  right  consideration.  She 
questioned  with  interest  and  was  frank  in  her  reply. 
It  was  only  a  smile  or  silence  that  showed  she  lacked 
interest  in  a  problem. 

Since  1839,  Juliette  Recamier  had  been  suffering 
with  her  eyes:  cataracts  were  forming  over  both  of 
them.  The  physicians  felt  at  first  perhaps  they  might 
be  treated  without  an  operation.  Little  by  little  they 
grew  so  weak  that  she  left  Paris  for  a  while  and  visited 
her  adopted  daughter,  Mine.  Lenormant,  and  her 
children  in  the  country. 

So  as  not  to  disturb  the  readings  at  the  x^bbaye  she 
finally  rented  a  house  at  Auteil.  The  modest  home 
was  next  door  to  Gerard,  the  painter's  home,  but  was 
occupied  by  M.  Guizot,  the  famous  historian.  Juliette 
was  on  friendly  relations  with  the  family  and  received 
a  great  deal  of  pleasure  entertaining  herself  with  his 
children. 

Chateaubriand  went  to  the  country  to  visit  her  and 
other  of  his  friends  and  continued  his  readings  from 


158  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

the  Memoires.  When  not  busy  with  the  members  of 
her  academy,  Juliette  drove  through  the  country  in  a 
carriage,  often  busying  herself  with  charity.  All 
through  her  life  the  suffering  of  the  poor  were  as  close 
to  heart  as  were  the  ambitions  of  the  rich. 

By  the  time  Juliette  returned  to  Paris,  Chateau- 
briand had  returned  from  his  visits  to  the  exiled  King 
Charles  X  and  to  the  Comte  de  Chambord.  A  charm- 
ing incident  occurred  at  the  Abbaye  about  this  time. 
A  great  picture  of  St.  Augustine  was  exhibited  at  the 
salon.  Juliette  was  unable  to  visit  it  because  of  her 
enfeebled  sight,  so  the  artist  sent  it  up  to  the  Abbaye 
that  Chateaubriand  and  she  could  enjoy  it  leisurely. 
Her  sight  was  failing  so  fast  that  her  adopted  daughter 
insisted  on  her  taking  a  small  house  near  her  and 
Chateaubriand  came  whenever  his  health  permitted, 
as  he  had  done  at  the  Abbaye. 

Ballanche  was  back  in  Paris  and  dined  with  her 
every  evening.  He  still  looked  at  her  in  the  light  of  a 
young  brother.  M.  Ampere  took  an  apartment  at 
Passy  and  his  good  humor  did  much  to  tone  her  up. 

Chateaubriand's  health  was  weakening  rapidly,  and 
he  was  much  more  worried  about  Juliette's  eyes,  as 
this  letter  shows: 

"I  want  to  see  you  more  than  you  wish  to  see  me. 
I  shall  soon  leave  this  earth.  It  is  time  I  should  make 
use  of  my  last  moments.  These  moments  are  yours 
and  I  should  love  to  give  them  to  you.  But  what 
good  can  there  be  in  your  seeing  a  man  who  has  only 
a  short  time  left.  But  these  moments  are  yours  as 
long  as  they  last.  As  long  as  my  heart  beats  you  can 
count  on  their  being  yours.     I   hope  that  you  were 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  159 

too  much  afraid  and  that  tomorrow  you  will  tell  me 
that  you  are  on  the  way  and  that  you  come  back  to 
me.  Goodbye,  let  me  see  you  soon.  Best  wishes  to 
your  niece  and  to  M.  Lenormant." 

In  the  autumn  of  1846  Juliette  had  an  operation  on 
her  eyes  at  Passy,  but  with  poor  results.  Chateau- 
briand's soul  was  rilled  with  sorrow  when  he  heard 
this.  He  himself  was  in  a  bad  way  worrying  about 
his  wife's  health.  Rene  had  been  taken  with  paralysis 
due  to  his  gouty  condition,  and  he  had  little  use  of 
his  hands  and  legs. 

The  first  vacancy  came  with  the  death  of  Chateau- 
briand's wife.  Rene  in  spite  of  his  apparent  indiffer- 
ence, took  this  loss  to  heart.  He  was  more  devoted 
to  her  than  his  friends  ever  imagined  and  she  responded 
to  this  affection  by  devoting  herself  to  charity. 

Chateaubriand,  feeble  and  broken-hearted,  sought 
comfort  by  visiting  Juliette  nearly  every  day.  It  was 
with  effort  that  his  stooped,  weakened  body,  paralyzed, 
mounted  the  stairs  aided  by  his  servant.  Once  seated 
comfortably  in  a  chair,  he  spent  two  or  three  hours 
reading  to  Juliette,  narrating  happenings  of  the 
Academy  or  reading  something  from  his  pen. 

There  were  seldom  any  gatherings  in  her  rooms  now 
because  of  her  dimmed  eyes — instead  of  the  deep  voices 
of  learned  men,  the  happy,  youthful  voices  of  children 
playing  in  the  court  came  into  her  rooms. 

But  the  first  real  loss  that  came  to  the  intimates  of 
the  Abbaye,  was  with  the  passing  of  dear  Ballanche; 
this  man,  whose  mind  was  kindled  by  imagination  and 
whose  heart  throbbed  to  the  beat  of  true  love.  His 
prayer  had  been  answered,  for  time  and  again  he  asked 


160  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

that  his  soul  be  consecrated  to  eternity  before  that  of 
his  friend  Juliette.  His  soul  passed  out  as  his  eyes 
were  fixed  so  he  could  peer  over  to  the  window  of  the 
Abbaye.  He  was  at  peace  with  his  Maker  to  the  end, 
as  his  serene  countenance  showed. 

To  him  might  be  applied  those  words  written  by 
Machiavelli  on  Peter  Toderini's  epitaph:  "Go  into  the 
heaven  of  little  children.  We  followed  his  coffin  as 
that  of  a  virgin  with  a  white  shroud.  His  was  a 
virginal  soul.  He  had  but  loved  Beatrice,  and  Beatrice 
had  stayed  on  earth  to  weep  over  him." 

When  Juliette  was  told  that  his  end  was  near,  she 
left  her  apartment  and,  in  spite  of  warnings  from  her 
doctor,  she  hurried  to  his  bedside,  and  remained  with 
him  to  the  end.  When  the  end  came,  and  for  months 
after,  she  wept  so  bitterly  that  all  hope  for  recovery 
of  her  sight  was  gone.  She  showed  her  affection  for 
him  by  making  room  for  him  in  her  own  vault. 

A  few  months  later  she  had  another  operation  on 
her  eyes,  but  with  no  results.  Juliette  had  paid  him 
a  compliment  shortly  before  he  passed  on,  by  letting 
him  draw  up  a  will  for  her.  Though  another  more 
legal  will  was  made  later  it  was  practically  copied 
after  the  one  he  wrote  for  her.  He  had  been  working 
on  one  of  his  great  works,  Palingenesis,  when  the  end 
came,  and  the  responsibility  came  to  Juliette  Recamier 
to  arrange  this  book  for  him.  About  this  time,  Rene 
Chateaubriand  grew  exceedingly  feeble.  He  visited 
Juliette  whenever  it  was  possible,  but  rarely  stayed  to 
any  of  the  salon  meetings.  He  spoke  to  few  persons, 
and  seemed  to  have  considerable  difficulty  in  recogniz- 
ing his  friends,  whom  he  often  miscalled. 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  161 

There  were  times  when  he  sat  next  to  friends  with- 
out saying  a  word.  When  some  speaker  had  addressed 
the  audience  for  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  Rene 
glanced  up  as  though  he  had  been  speaking.  Then 
listened  and  smiled  when  one  of  his  friends  entered. 

One  day  when  he  visited  Juliette  alone  he  begged 
her  to  marry  him.  He  knew  he  was  old  and  decrepit, 
but  as  he  explained,  it  was  one  way  of  his  showing 
the  love  he  had  felt  for  her  all  the  years  when  his  lips 
were  silenced.  She  had  done  so  much  for  his  literary 
attainments  that  he  wanted  her  to  share  his  glory 
with  him. 

Juliette  pale,  and  tired  with  suffering  caused  by 
those  weakened  eyes  burned  by  tears  smiled,  "I  thank 
you  for  the  honour  you  are  offering  me,  Rene,"  she 
said,  "but  it  would  mean  that  I  should  have  to  leave 
this  place  grown  dear  to  me  with  associations  where 
I  want  to  spend  my  last  days.  Besides,  it  would 
interfere  with  your  will,  and  the  people  who  need  your 
fortune  more  than  I  do." 

He  had  asked  her  to  help  edit  the  last  of  the  Memoires 
by  having  them  read,  and  begged  her  to  be  with  him 
when  his  end  should  come  as  she  had  been  with  Bal- 
lanche. 

About  March,  Rene  was  taken  with  a  bad  cold  that 
kept  him  indoors.  Sometimes  some  of  his  men  friends 
and  she  went  to  his  rooms  where  a  half  dozen  would 
listen  to  some  one  read  from  the  last  part  of  his  me- 
moires. 

The  cannon  and  thunder  of  June  made  it  dangerous 
for  women  to  appear  on  the  street.  Fortunately, 
there  were  two  unfrequented  back  streets  by  which 


1 62  The  Life  of  Juliette   Recamier 

she  persisted  the  coachman  should  drive.  Since  her 
blindness,  Juliette  was  unable  to  walk  in  the  streets 
and  as  the  coaches  were  in  danger  of  being  taken  and 
piled  up  for  barricades,  it  was  not  easy  to  get  the 
drivers  out.  But  her  beauty  and  charming  manner 
usually  persuaded  them  to  venture  with  her.  Once 
seated  in  his  modest  quarters  at  the  Inflrmerie  de  St. 
Therese  she  sometimes  whispered  to  somebody  seated 
near  her:  "How  does  he  look?  What  expression  has 
he?  Does  he  seem  to  be  in  pain?  Does  he  ever 
smile?"  Had  they  answered  truly,  they  should  have 
said  that  he  was  pale  looking,  and  his  lips  trembled  as 
though  he  wanted  to  speak.  At  times  his  gaze  was 
vacant  and  at  other  times  he  seemed  to  be  more 
interested  in  what  was  being  read  and  in  his  friends 
around  him.  At  times  his  eyes  rested  on  the  crucifix 
that  hung  on  the  wall  or  at  the  beautiful  picture  of 
Raphael's  "Holy  Family."  The  room  was  furnished 
barely  with  a  few  odd  pieces  of  furniture  and  none  too 
many  books.  One  case  contained  the  manuscripts  of 
his  Memoires  on  which  he  was  still  engaged. 

However  absent  minded  he  was,  he  knew  Juliette 
by  her  step  and  her  thin  outstretched  arms  which 
helped  to  guide  her  into  his  cell.  These  readings  were 
limited  to  the  following  guests:  Ampere,  Noailles, 
Lemonie  and  Juliette. 

All  this  time  cannonading  was  going  on  in  Paris;  it 
was  only  after  the  Republic  was  established  that  M. 
Lemoine  broke  the  news  to  Chateaubriand  that  France 
was  no  longer  under  a  monarchy. 

Towards  the  first  of  April,  Rene  was  weak,  his  life 
was  ebbing  little  by  little.     As  his  end  drew  near, 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  163 

Juliette  Recamier  was  ill,  suffering  from  catarrh.  But 
she  went  to  stay  with  her  friends  so  she  could  be  with 
Rene  as  she  had  promised  when  his  end  came.  She 
was  at  his  bedside  to  the  end.  Occasionally  she  left 
the  room  overcome  with  grief,  and  at  these  moments 
his  eyes  followed  her  as  a  child's  eyes  often  follow  its 
parents — wondering  when  she  will  return.  His  soul 
passed  out  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  his  funeral  at  Paris 
was  attended  by  Louis  de  Chateaubriand,  his  nephew, 
l'abbe  Deguerry,  a  Sister  of  Charity  and  Juliette 
Recamier.  But  he  was  buried  at  St.  Malo,  under  a 
rock  called  the  great  Be.  It  was  in  this  vicinity 
that  part  of  his  boyhood  had  been  spent  and  he  wished 
to  rest  there  in  peace. 

On  high  tide  it  forms  an  island  and  at  low  tide  one 
can  walk  on  the  sand  at  the  foot  of  the  granite  tomb 
where  there  is  a  cross  that  points  heavenward. 

The  honor  to  his  great  literary  name  was  given 
here,  in  the  midst  of  many  friends.  Ampere,  who  had 
been  one  of  his  loyal  friends,  spoke  at  his  funeral. 

Juliette  Recamier  took  this  loss  hard,  and  grieved 
as  she  had  done  for  her  mother,  for  Germaine  de  Stael 
and  for  Ballanche.  But  she  consoled  herself  in  the 
happy  thought  that  she  could  suffer  for  them  instead 
of  having  them  suffer  for  her.  In  spite  of  her  grief 
and  her  failing  strength,  his  Memoires  were  read  to 
her  daily,  so  they  could  be  arranged  for  the  ten  volumes 
of  his  Memoires  d'outre  Tombe  and  have  then  placed 
as  he  wished  them. 

This  was  a  wish  he  had  expressed  and  she  was  com- 
plying to  his  request.  Sainte  Beuve,  speaking  of  this 
task  says:  "It  was  she  who  was  as  responsible  for  his 


164  The  Life   of  Juliette  Recamier 

writing  of  these  Memoires  as  for  their  organization 
and  appearance.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  she  or- 
ganized her  salon  during  the  last  period  of  her  life. 
It  was  here  the  literary  and  fashionable  world  came 
to  her  to  have  them  read  from  time  to  time.  Where 
the  intellectual  elite  were  admitted  to  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  hearing  them  read,  there  these  writings 
were  met  with  flattering  praise.  It  was  in  her  simple 
cell  of  the  Abbaye  au  Bois  that  a  great  many  saw  a 
great  man's  work  grow  from  day  to  day,  while  he  grew 
feeble,  consoled  in  the  thought  of  future  glory. 

He  commenced  these  Memoires  in  181 1  and  it  took 
some  thirty  years  for  their  completion. 

There  are  many  of  Chateaubriand's  masterpieces 
that  are  well  known  and  read  outside  of  France  today. 
In  this  number  are  Atala,  Le  Genie  du  Christianisme 
and  les  Memoires  d'Outre  Tombe.  There  are  those 
who  hold  that  his  masterpiece  is  C'est  la  Guerre  d' 
Espagne.  Sainte  Beuve  says  that  in  spite  of  his  not 
being  a  great  poet  and  romancer  he  was  one  of  the 
greatest  literary  men  of  the  century. 

M.  Faguet,  one  of  the  foremost  of  French  literary 
critics  of  today  says,  "The  name  of  Chateaubriand 
stands  foremost  since  the  time  of  La  Pleiade.  His 
influence  made  a  new  literary  school  that  lasted  for 
three  generations.  His  influence  is  alive  and  will  con- 
tinue for  a  long  time  to  come.  His  sincere  conception 
of  Christianity  has  had  a  marked  influence  on  modern 
religious  thought.  He  belongs  to  that  illustrious 
galaxy  of  men  represented  by  Victor  Hugo,  Lamartine, 
Alfred  de  Vigny,  Alfred  de  Musset  in  the  drama. 
While  in  history  and  in  the  philosophy  of  history  he 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  165 

belongs  to  that  rank  represented  by  Ballanche,  M.  de 
Barante,  Augustin  and  Amedee  Thierry,  and  Michelet. 
While  one  finds  marked  influences  of  his  work  in  that 
of  Charles  Nodier,  Emile  Souvestre,  George  Sand,  in 
Gustave  Flaubert  and  in  Mme.  Augustus  Craven." 

Whatever  be  the  final  estimate  put  on  Chateau- 
briand's works,  historians  will  surely  be  agreed  finally 
that  Juliette  Recamier  did  more  to  inspire  him  to  do 
his  best  work  than  any  other  person  he  knew;  her  salon, 
her  time  and  her  criticism  was  always  at  his  disposal, 
while  she  did  much  in  the  editing  and  reading  of  proofs 
on  his  Memoires. 

When  the  Memoires  were  published  finally,  great 
discussions  took  place  by  different  members  of  her 
family,  that  of  Germaine  de  Stael  and  of  Chateaubriand 
himself  as  to  what  should  be  published  and  what 
should  be  omitted.  Chateaubriand  had  demanded 
that  in  the  publishing  of  his  Memoires  the  copy  bear- 
ing the  date  February  2,  1845,  should  be  used.  This 
is  now  called  the  Champion  copy. 

After  devoting  herself  to  the  editing  of  these  ten 
books,  Juliette  closed  her  doors  at  the  Abbaye  and  her 
salon  became  a  thing  of  the  past. 

Juliette  devoted  much  time  to  reading,  visiting  her 
adopted  daughter  and  enjoying  the  company  of  her 
children.  Towards  spring  in  1849,  cholera  once  more 
appeared  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Abbaye,  and  it 
soon  began  to  rage.  She,  who  now  as  always,  had  a 
great  dread  of  this  awful  disease,  spent  the  Easter 
holidays  with  her  adopted  daughter.  Speaking  of  this 
visit,  her  niece  says  in  her  "Souvenir  et  Correspond- 
ence": "Nobody  ever  entered  the  life  of  a  family,  and 


166  The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

into  their  intimate  habits,  with  such  charm,  and  per- 
fect sweetness,  with  so  much  liberty.  The  regularity 
which  she  used  in  the  employment  of  her  own  time 
facilitated  singularly  their  life.  Obliged  to  make  use 
of  other  eyes  than  her  own,  to  satisfy  her  delight  for 
reading,  she  arranged  this  pleasure  to  suit  the  reader." 
When  she  thought  she  was  tiring  somebody  else  she 
was  more  anxious  than  if  she  was  wearied.  The  em- 
barrassment in  which  she  was  plunged  never  made 
her  lose  her  vivacity,  and  the  interest  she  took  in  her 
friends.  She  never  lost  interest  in  others  and  her 
own  grief  was  concealed  by  her  sympathy.  She  was 
much  interested  as  to  whom  should  succeed  Ballanche 
at  the  Academy.  When  the  place  was  offered  to 
M.  Vatout,  who  died  shortly  after,  it  then  went  to 
M.  de  Saint  Priest.  Juliette  was  glad  to  know  that 
he  was  offered  it  finally  for  she  knew  him  well  in  Rome 
in  the  early  days  of  the  19th  Century,  and  M.  de 
Saint  Priest  had  later  called  on  her  at  the  National 
Library,  where  Juliette  was  taken  while  the  cholera 
was  raging  in  her  neighborhood.  On  the  7th  of  May, 
Saint  Priest  made  his  speech  at  the  Academie  and 
Juliette  was  delighted  with  the  welcome  he  received. 
The  same  day  Juliette  took  a  drive  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  her  old  home.  Her  old  friend  Ozanam,  who 
had  often  been  invited  to  her  salon  called  with  his 
wife  and  wanted  an  apartment  in  the  Abbaye  as  soon 
as  one  was  vacant.  The  same  evening  she  dined  with 
her  adopted  daughter,  and  Ampere  spent  the  evening 
with  them.  Her  oldest  niece  was  reading  from  the 
Memoires  de  Mme.  de  Motteville.  Before  the  reading 
was  over,  Juliette  Recamier  was  taken  with  strange 


The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  167 

pains.  Returning  home  to  the  National  Library,  she 
soon  quieted  down  and  asked  to  be  alone  for  a  while 
with  her  niece.  Apparently  calm,  she  knew  that  the 
end  was  drawing  near. 

The  attending  physician  recognized  the  symptoms 
as  cholera,  and  before  the  night  was  over  she  was 
given  the  last  unction.  Before  the  end  came  she 
whispered  to  her  adopted  daughter:  "We  shall  meet 
again,  we  shall  meet  again,"  and  she  sealed  this  promise 
with  a  kiss. 

M.  Ampere  and  Paul  David  passed  the  night  in  a 
room  adjoining.  By  midnight  she  called  for  them, 
and  told  them  all  goodbye  in  turn.  M.  l'Abbe  de 
Cazales  came  to  the  library  just  as  she  was  breathing 
her  last.  As  her  soul  left  this  world  she  looked  su- 
premely beautiful.  According  to  Mme.  Lenormant, 
"Her  face  was  supremely  beautiful.  It  was  stamped 
by  an  angelic  sweetness;  it  looked  like  a  beautiful 
piece  of  carved  marble,  none  of  her  features  were 
drawn,  and  never  was  the  coming  of  the  great  sleep 
ever  welcomed  by  more  charm  and  grace.  A  drawing 
carved  in  stone  by  Achille  Deviria  shows  this  remark- 
able fact,  shown  with  great  fidelity." 

She  had  known  the  charms  and  delights  of  old  age 
as  she  had  of  youth,  and  she  never  tried  to  counter- 
feit them.  Though  her  features  were  heavier  and  her 
waist  had  grown  larger,  she  accepted  these  as  inevitable 
with  increasing  years.  To  this  she  added  more  ele- 
gance, and  made  the  smile  that  often  concealed  her 
tears  even  sweeter.  She  wore  a  cap  which  hid  the 
grey  hair;  that  beige  hair  had  turned  white  while  she 
was  in   Rome  in    1824.     Ampere  was  grieved  greatly 


168  The   Life   of  Juliette   Recamier 

when  he  realized,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  he  had 
lost  his  best  friend.  He  admitted  then  for  the  first 
time  that  the  affection  she  had  bestowed  on  him  had 
filled  his  whole  life.  Her  old  time  friend,  Prosper  de 
Barante,  spent  his  last  years  talking  and  writing  about 
her  and  what  she  had  meant  to  him.  Many  went  to 
her  salon  out  of  curiosity  and  they  stayed  to  ask  for 
her  friendship.  Many  a  great  man  laid  bare  his  mind 
and  soul  to  her. 

Flattered  at  times  by  these  attentions  she  never 
played  foolishly  with  a  man's  affection — this  was 
shown  about  twice;  once  when  Augustus  of  Prussia 
was  in  love  with  her  and  again  when  Benjamin  Con- 
stant was  madly  in  love  with  her.  She  knew  that  she 
was  beautiful,  but  she  never  was  made  foolish  by  it. 
To  beauty  she  contributed  a  good  mind  and  a  better 
soul.  Her  personality,  so  sweet  and  unusual,  unfolded 
like  a  beautiful  orchid.  This  lovely  flower  perfumed 
the  air  in  which  she  breathed,  and  when  it  withered 
it  faded  in  silence.  The  perfume  of  her  soul  had 
touched  many  souls,  quickening  them  to  fuller,  nobler 
lives. 

The  English  writer,  Miss  Trollope,  who  was  invited 
to  her  salon  while  in  Paris,  remarked  to  Juliette  that 
few  romances  ever  had  the  honor  of  being  illustrated 
by  such  a  picture  as  that  of  Madame  de  Stael  as 
Corinne,  painted  by  Gerard,  and  that  her  pleasure  in 
having  it  must  be  great. 

"It  is,  indeed,"  Juliette  replied.  "Nor  is  it  my  only 
treasure  of  the  kind.  I  am  so  fortunate  as  to  possess 
Girodet's  original  drawing  from  Atala,  the  engraving 
which  you  must  have  seen  often." 


The  Life   of  Juliette   Recamier  169 

Discussing  ihese  days  in  which  she  reigned  in  her 
three  small  rooms  at  the  Abbaye,  Sainte  Beuve  in  the 
Causerie  du  Lundi  says:  "M.  de  Chateaubriand  was 
the  pride  of  the  place,  but  Mme.  Recamier  was  the 
soul.  In  that  shade  where  she  lived  at  the  Abbaye, 
she  still  kept  the  desire  to  conquer  and  her  sweet 
skillfulness  to  gain  hearts." 

Let  us  say  in  one  word  her  coquetry,  but  may 
orthodox  doctors  forgive  me  the  word.  It  was  an 
angelic  coquetry.  There  are  natures  which  are  born 
pure,  they  go  through  the  dark  valley,  they  resist  fire 
as  those  children  of  the  holy  scripture  whom  their 
good  angel  saved.  Mme.  Recamier,  being  young, 
needed  that  good  angel,  for  the  world  in  which  she 
lived  was  mixed  and  she  did  not  spare  herself  in 
braving  it. 


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